Michelle was last seen leaving her family's home in Alta Loma, Texas on October 5, 1985. Michelle was planning to meet friends at a nightclub located on Galveston Island later in the evening, but she never arrived. Michelle has not been heard from again. Her family reported her as a missing person on October 7, 1985, two days after her disappearance. She was carrying a beige purse when she was last seen.

Michelle served as a police informant during a drug bust in 1985. Authorities believe that she may have been abducted and murdered as a result of her involvement, but little evidence is available in her case.

Michelle's case may be related to a string of young women's disappearances and/or murders in the Galveston County, Texas area since the 1970's. Other missing women include Sondra Ramber, who vanished in 1983, Suzanne Richerson, who disappeared in 1988, and Jessica Cain, who vanished in 1997. Law enforcement has not determined if these cases are connected.

Some agencies state that Michelle disappeared from Santa Fe, Texas.