Dorothy attended church on the morning of May 23, 1993 and afterwards walked to The RV Park Store on the corner of Highway 666 (now called Highway 191) and Highway 181 in Sunizona, Arizona. She was accompanied by her daughter, Danielle Pitcher, at the time. Dorothy left five of her other children at home. Along their route they stopped at the residence of one of Dorothy's daughters and invited her to walk with them. She declined but invited them to dinner after they finished their errand.

Danielle and Dorothy arrived at the store to purchase cigarettes for Dorothy's husband. It has been established that the women also purchased ice cream cones and made a call from the store's pay phone before departing for their residence, which was located approximately three miles from The RV Park Store. They were last seen by friends who drove past the Pitchers on their route home. There may have been an old van with Colorado license plates nearby. Neither Danielle nor her mother have been seen again.

Search dogs picked up the Pitchers's scents at the store and approximately one and a half miles into their route home along the highway. The scent disappeared close to the road; a vehicle may have picked them up at that location. There was no other indication of Danielle and Dorothy's whereabouts. Foul play is suspected in their cases. Two possible suspects have been identified by law enforcement, but not publicly named. Dorothy's husband was ruled out as a suspect after he passed a polygraph. He died in 1998, but her children continue to search for her and Danielle. The Pitchers' cases remain open and unsolved.