Donna Emmel spent her summer day of June 16, 1975 at the America Service Station and Grill, also known as Grice's Grill, a popular teenager hangout spot, according to her friend. Later that evening, when Donna's mother called the store to have Donna come home, she learned that Donna had already left. Witness statements, specifically one from her younger brother, had placed Donna at trail entrance that leads through a wooded area, but she was being followed by an unidentified man. The following evening, on June 17, 1975, Donna's body was found in a drainage ditch across from her family's home.