That summer, the twins befriended two men, Marvin Warren and Eddie Gross. They moved with the men to Pompano Beach. After a short time, the girls wrote their mother asking for help returning to New Jersey, but they didn’t provide a phone number. Their mother’s attempts to contact them failed, leading her to contact the police.

The police investigation revealed a complicated situation. Peggy had briefly reported Patty missing, then cancelled the report. A man named Nelson Johnson accused Gross of hiding Patty. Then, Johnson, Peggy, and Patty all vanished. Johnson was later found murdered, his car wiped clean, and money stolen. His murder remains unsolved.

Gross told police the twins left with another man. The police found no trace of them in their apartment. Their bikes were found elsewhere, and a year later, someone stole only their clothes from their father’s house—suggesting a deliberate attempt to make it look like they left.

There was a possible sighting of the twins at a truck stop, where they said they were being stalked and considering going to their uncle’s house. They disappeared from the truck stop as well.

Their mother believes they witnessed Johnson’s murder and were killed to keep them quiet. They have never been found.