Brown went missing with Richard E. Reisenberg, a patient at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York, in April 1977. Brown had been admitted to Creedmoor in August 1976 and met Reisenberg during her brief stay. They began a relationship, and by January 1977, as Brown transitioned to outpatient care at Hillside Medical Center, Reisenberg proposed, and she accepted. Reisenberg had a history of mental health challenges, including two suicide attempts in his youth and a diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder with possible schizophrenia. In 1971, he tragically took the lives of his wife and their 17-month-old son, and was later found not guilty by reason of insanity. After being admitted to Creedmoor, Reisenberg was allowed unauthorized day trips from the hospital, using his late wife’s life insurance money. A recommendation for his transfer to a more secure facility was made, but before it could be carried out, he disappeared with Brown. A month later, Brown contacted her sister to reassure her that she was safe, but they were never seen again.