Holt was last seen in a motel room in Waldorf, Maryland on April 25, 1996. Prior to her disappearance, Dawn had gone to live with a relative in Florida, at the suggestion of a family member. She returned unbeknownst to relatives. On the day she disappeared, she made a phone call to a family member, but did not show up later. Holt's family reported her as a missing person on June 12, 1996, approximately eight weeks after she disappeared. Dawn disappeared from time to time, but she had never been gone this long.