Loy Gillespie Evitts was last seen on February 28, 1977, between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. in Kansas City, Missouri, during her lunch hour. She visited several stores on the Country Club Plaza, had her watch adjusted, drove to a drugstore on Main Street and Westport Road, purchased coffee, and an umbrella. Her yellow 1970 MG sports car with the license plate number JOE 4869 was later found in its regular spot in the Plaza Center Building's parking garage, with the purchased umbrella in the front seat. However, Loy was nowhere to be found, and she has not been seen or heard from since.

Her husband did not realize she was missing until 6:00 p.m. when Evitts's supervisor called him to inquire why she hadn't returned to the office after lunch. Ten days later, her purse and other belongings were discovered under a bridge in southeast Kansas City, near Unity Village.

At the time of her disappearance, Evitts was employed at a law firm, where she had only been working for a month. Her loved ones stated that she was very attached to her car, and it would be out of character for her to walk anywhere when she could drive. Evitts was born and raised in Coffeyville, Kansas, and was a former queen nominee at Kansas State University, where she studied clothing and retailing. She lived in Overland Park, Kansas, at the time of her disappearance, was happily married, and was not experiencing any personal or financial problems. She was a meticulous person, both about her appearance and possessions.

Three weeks after Evitts's disappearance, a 34-year-old man from Grandview, Missouri, was arrested for kidnapping her. However, charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence, and the suspect has not been publicly identified. Despite being declared legally dead by her husband seven years after her disappearance, Loy Gillespie Evitts' case remains suspicious, and little evidence is available. Her husband has never remarried and continues to hope for answers in her disappearance.