Mitchell was last seen in Wellborn, Florida on August 25, 2012. Early that morning, Andrelo Larashard Witcher entered her father's house in Lake City uninvited, threatened her with a weapon, and stole her prescription medications. Mitchell's white 1992 Pontiac Grand Am vanished with her. Although she sometimes dropped out of sight, she always stayed in touch with her family. She was reported missing on September 2. Over a week later, her car was found submerged on 184th Street in Suwannee County, near the Columbia County line, with her phone and purse inside.