Pendergrast was a student at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee in 2000; he was within two weeks of graduation. His family resided in Atlanta, Georgia. He was last seen leaving his residence in Memphis between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. on December 1, 2000. He was driving his navy 1998 Toyota 4Runner at the time. He was scheduled to attend a Spanish class four blocks from his home that morning. He never arrived. He apparently called a friend in Atlanta that morning; it was the last time anyone has heard from him. Pendergrast's SUV was discovered abandoned in Lonoke County, Arkansas at approximately 2:00 p.m. that day. The vehicle was located on a private dirt road off of south Kerr Road near Interstate 40, parked near the edge of Bayou Meta, a swamp often used by area hunters. It was unlocked and his keys were in the ignition. About 100 yards away were his clothes and his wallet, containing his driver's license and other identification, as well as credit cards. There was no sign of Pendergrast near his vehicle. Extensive searches of the surrounding area produced no clues as to his whereabouts.