Files disappeared within desktop folder

I went to open the primary folder I put many of my work documents in on my desktop and noticed the contents had all vanished. The folders (within the primary folder) had vanished (except for two) and all files were gone (except for one testbank software application). The files and folders were nowhere to be found in Spotlight, the trash, or anywhere else I could think of. The only unique thing I've done in the past few days has been to link up my wife's new iPhone. I did switch users (from my wife's to mine) while the phone was plugged in and it started to try to sync with my account, but I simply cancelled it.

I talked with the Apple help line but they were unable to resolve the issue (the person I was talking to wasn't aware of what an iPhone was (overseas call), so the syncing issue couldn't be addressed - disappointing).

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks

Space isn't an issue

I've got 193 GB available on my account, and my wife's has even more available.

Everything Is Normal

The machine has been running great. This is the only hiccup I've encountered. I'm a bit suspicious of the iPhone sync, but don't know nearly enough about the process. I did notice that the only file left was locked while the others were not.