Arianna is seen by her family in mid-February. During this time, Arianna's mother, Nicole, is working multiple jobs trying to provide for Arianna and find a place for them to stay. She relies heavily on a set of sisters to watch Arianna while she works to find a home during this time.

Arianna's mom, Nicole, leaves work early. Before meeting the babysitters, Nicole's bank records show she took $600 out.

Best Buy

Later this evening after she is supposed to meet the babysitters, Nicole messages her roommate, telling her she is going to Fresno, California with a friend of hers named Sam. None of Nicole's friends or family know who this Sam person is.

Nicole posts her last ever Facebook post stating "Spending time with my 3-year-old need this brake." However, Arianna was two years old at the time, therefore her family does not believe she made the Facebook post because Nicole used good grammar and spelling.

After no one had heard from Nicole in 4 days, she and Arianna are reported as missing persons by their family.

Nicole's body is found in a shallow grace in McLaren Park in San Fransico. She had been placed in the fetal position with a piece of plywood, with a silver character painted on it, covering her body.

Purple Park Playground in McLaren Park

Five days after Nicole's remains are found in a shallow grave, the Federal Bureau of Investigation joins the San Francisco Police Department in their search for Arianna.

In 2017, SFPD report that they had seized and searched a vehicle which is believed to belong to Helena in relation to this case.

The San Francisco Police Department announce that a $100,000 reward is being offered for information that would lead to "the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible" for Nicole's murder and Arianna's disappearance. Additionally, around this time the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children adds an age-progression image to their poster for Arianna, showing what she may look like at 6 years old.