Last seen by neighbors at the Churchill Place Apartments complex in Columbia, South Carolina on August 15, 2003. Richardson resided at Churchill Apartments in the 4900 block of Fairfield Road at the time. Her sister reported her missing on October 10. Richardson's teal green 1994 Ford Mustang was recovered in St. Mary's, Georgia in October 2003. Her husband's sister was driving it. Richardson and her husband also owned a red 1987 Toyota pickup truck and a gray 1992 Chevrolet Lumina. Authorities believe Richardson could have been taken against her will. Richardson's husband was interviewed about her case, but he has not been named as a suspect in her disappearance. He claimed she simply left him. Her family describes the husband as jealous and abusive.
After August, her husband failed to pay the rent and was served with two eviction notices. Her husband was gone by then, leaving most of her belongings behind including clothes, tv, vcr, a mattress and a refrigerator full of food.