The next morning, her car was driven away from her home. Her boyfriend, John Gibbs, was seen walking to the house shortly after. Later that day, a truck and trailer took her car away. Police don’t know who drove the truck.

Pabon’s car was found two weeks later, miles from her home, but she wasn’t there. Gibbs wasn’t helpful to police.

Pabon had told a friend she felt unsafe with Gibbs and planned to leave him. Later, Gibbs was convicted of neglecting their son, who had serious behavioral problems after his mother disappeared.

Three years after Pabon vanished, Gibbs was charged with her murder. Police found a bag he’d left at a construction site; a dog trained to detect human remains reacted to a blanket inside. Gibbs also made a suspicious trip to Arizona and bought cleaning supplies that could be used to destroy evidence. He’d also searched online for ways to drug someone.

Even though Gibbs claimed Pabon was abducted or killed herself, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. He still says he’s innocent. Because Pabon was a devoted mother who would never leave her children, police believe she was murdered.