Lakey visited her mother at Mercy Hospital in their hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania on August 26, 1986. She was last seen walking on North Washington Avenue towards her home, which was in the 1300 block of that street. She was planning on spending the night at a female friend's house on Myrtle Street. Lakey may have entered an unidentified light yellow car approximately one block from her family's residence. She has never been seen again. Authorities believe she was abducted by a non-family member.

Frank Osellanie is considered a possible suspect in Lakey's case. He was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering a nine-year-old Scranton girl in 1990 and has been in prison ever since. He is considered a person of interest in several other cases, including the 1978 disappearance of Joanne Williams. Osellanie admitted to knowing Lakey and said she sometimes visited his auto shop and he gave her rides home. He maintains his innocence in her disappearance, however, and investigators are not sure whether he was involved.

Lakey enjoys fast food from McDonald's restaurants. In 1986 she had a dynamic, outspoken personality and a good sense of humor, and enjoyed playing with animals and wearing colorful clothes. Her father believes she may be in California. Lakey's parents are divorced; she had not seen her father for three years prior to her disappearance and he was not notified of her abduction for seven months afterwards. Lakey's case remains unsolved.