Buenfil and an acquaintance, Terry Kenneth McDowell, were driving in the Big Scrub area of the Ocala National Forest on December 27, 2011. At 3:00 p.m., the vehicle became stuck in the sand on Railroad Grade Road just south of Forest Road 14. Buenfil walked south to get help, and has never been heard from again.

Sawyer was last seen at a remote campground in the Flamingo area at Everglades National Park in Monroe County, Florida on March 5, 2011.