... and even tried to take the back off to see if was floating around somewhere within the innards of the machine but I was unable to take off the top or back.Think about that. If the underwire could easily get out of the machine's tub, then so could the water and you'd have a flood every time you used the machine. :-)

Unfortunately, if the underwire was intact at the time the suit top was loaded into the tub, and it's gone upon finishing the load, then it logically can't be anywhere but out of the inner basket into the outer tub, and/or possibly headed toward the pump. But ... are you sure it was intact at the start?

My concern is that it is somewhere between the inner basket and the outer tub but did not use the correct terminology in my post. I am worried that it might pierce the outer tub as it did in my top loader years ago, "clog up the works" or puncture a seal in another way.

In wore the suit 3 days prior and the wire was in place but I did notice that it had momentarily poked through it's cloth casing. I adjusted it and made a mental note that the casing needed stitching (but i did not get around to it before I washed it).

I noticed that there was a slight rubbing/scraping sound during that load of all bathing suits but i thought it was due to something else in the contents. I have not heard it again in subsequent loads that I ran before i realize the wire was missing.

I do question however how the wire got out of the fine mesh lingerie bag. That has also happened before but it got stuck on the bag.

Arggg!