He left his residence that day and did not return; his family described the disappearance as highly unusual and reported him missing. He is described as about 6 feet to 6 feet 1 inch tall, around 175 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. At last sighting he wore a gray hooded sweatshirt, size 36 gray pants, and size 10 1/2 black and red Nike sneakers.

Mitchell has several distinctive tattoos, including a guns motif on his clavicle and shoulder area and the phrase 9 shots on the opposite shoulder, plus other upper-chest and clavicle tattoos. The New York City Police Department Missing Persons Squad opened an investigation; officers interviewed family and friends and searched areas he frequented but found no significant leads. The case later went cold and remains unsolved and open.