Ida resided with her family in Florida in the mid-1950s. She became pregnant in 1955 at age 18 and married her baby's father, Kenneth, shortly thereafter. Kenneth was employed part-time as a musician. They settled in the Detroit, Michigan area and had two additional children by 1958. The marriage was troubled and Ida often wrote about financial difficulties in letters to her relatives in Florida. Ida took her three children and left Kenneth in February 1958. She was hospitalized due to rheumatic fever and ulcers shortly afterward. Kenneth placed the children in a boarding home while Ida was ill. The state of Michigan took custody of their children as a result of his actions and Ida and Kenneth spent the next six months attempting to regain their parental rights. Ida was scheduled to receive custody of her children in mid-September 1958, but no one is certain if she was aware of that fact. She vanished on September 18 and has never been heard from again. Ida's children were adopted by other families due to her disappearance. Her oldest son and daughter were adopted by the same family and their names were changed. Arrangements had been made for Ida and the children to fly to Jacksonville, Florida after she was awarded custody in 1958. Airplane tickets had been purchased, but they were never used. Ida's three children were reunited in 1995 and began searching for her with the assistance of other relatives. Ida has not been located as an unidentified deceased victim and a search of hospital records has proven that she was not admitted to any facilities in Michigan and surrounding states after her 1958 disappearance under her name. Her family is concerned that she may have been institutionalized or that she is homeless and does not know her identity.