When their son Theodore is born, the nanny insists that consistency is important in Teddy's life.

After they end the phone call she goes upstairs anyway and sees the nanny gagged and tied up, and discovers Teddy is missing.

While the house is being searched, detective John Taylor questions the servants and the chauffeur tells about how he saw Marielle with Charles.

The film played on NBC, opposite CBS' coverage of the 1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament final game, held in Seattle on April 3, 1995.

[5] Rinna's inclusion was the first time a daytime television star had been chosen for a Steel film.

Due to the contract that Rinna had with Days of Our Lives and the time that she was approached to play the role, she had initially been told by the Days production team that she wouldn't be able to take the role in Vanished as she would be in breach of contract.

The reviewer was critical of the heroine, Marielle Delauney, and despite their apparent dislike of the character, of Rinna's portrayal, though they seemed more than pleased with Hamilton's performance.

While commenting that Hays "deserved better" and describing Brigitte as "smashing", indicating their approval of Akerblom's acting skill, they didn't spare the other aspects of the film.

[2] David Hiltbrand of People magazine stated that the plot borrowed from the Lindbergh kidnapping and tried to mix in the feeling of Alfred Hitchcock.

It described the show as shallow and unrealistic, adding that the music felt "intrusive", and compared the drama to "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"

[9] Bonnie Melleck writing for Vancouver's The Province, described it as an alternative to the NCAA basketball game for anyone who enjoyed a "deliciously messy movie plot", asserting that there are both men and women who enjoy the installments of Steel's novels turned into TV films.

[11] Steven Scheuer for the Wisconsin State Journal gave a positive account of Rinna's and Hamilton's performances while remaining largely silent on the rest of the film.