Hardwick was last seen in her home on 18th Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana on October 14, 1993. She apparently left the residence during the nighttime hours. She left a note for her live-in boyfriend stating that she was going to the store and would return in a short time. However, she never did. Her boyfriend reported her missing the next day.

Hardwick left her four children behind in her house when she vanished; her loved ones say she was a devoted mother and would not have abandoned them. Authorities suspect foul play was involved in her disappearance and have classified it as a homicide.