Elizabeth Pfeifer vanished from Katy, Texas on April 12, 1986, after leaving her parents' home to attend a party with five others, located about ten miles away on the outskirts of town. She never returned, and her parents didn't report her missing for four weeks as she had a history of dropping out of sight for short periods.

Witnesses at the party reported Pfeifer became severely intoxicated, which was typical behavior for her, and left with James Wesley Hopgood around midnight. Initially, Hopgood denied any involvement in her disappearance. However, he was convicted of forgery later in 1986 and, in 2006, he was sentenced to thirty years in prison for aggravated sexual assault. During his incarceration, he admitted to leaving the party with Pfeifer and taking her to his Houston apartment where they used drugs. He claimed he then drove her back to Katy and last saw her at a gas station on north Mason Road, where she got into a brown pickup truck with someone she appeared to know.

However, Pfeifer's sister stated that Hopgood's account did not match the known facts of the case. Hopgood also refused to take a polygraph about the incident. Her disappearance remains unsolved, and foul play is suspected.

Pfeifer had a history of emotional problems and had been arrested several times for driving while intoxicated and violence. A psychiatrist suggested she be placed in a mental hospital when she was eighteen, but her parents declined. She did not take any identification, money or purse when she disappeared. Despite ongoing investigations into her case, Pfeifer has not been found, and her whereabouts remain unknown.