Case file
Key facts
- Name: Sally Grace Contarino
- Age at disappearance: 26
- Last seen / last contact: June 20, 2026 — surveillance captured her buying water and snacks at a grocery store around 1 p.m.; she told a friend she planned to hike near Lone Mountain, northwest Las Vegas
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada; last confirmed movements in the Lone Mountain / Mount Charleston hiking area
- Description: Slim build, fair skin, brown hair and brown eyes. Last seen in a dark-colored tank top and shorts with black-and-white Converse shoes.
- Status: Still missing — classified by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as an endangered missing adult who may be experiencing severe emotional distress and could require medical attention
- Investigating agency: LVMPD Missing Persons Detail, (702) 828-2907; missingpersons@lvmpd.com; or LVMPD at 702-828-3111
The traveler who came back for the desert
Sally Grace Contarino, from Melbourne, Australia, was an avid solo traveler who had fallen in love with Nevada’s desert landscapes over the past few years. Unlike many visitors drawn to Las Vegas for its nightlife, Sally returned for its hiking trails and natural scenery. “She loves solo traveling. She loves meeting new people… She loves hiking, mostly about nature. That’s pretty much how she is as a person. She’s very passionate about art,” her sister Amy told International Business Times Singapore. She had made the solo trip to Nevada “a couple of times a year in the last three or four years” and was familiar with the area. “Her favorite thing about Nevada is the desert. Not so much the partying reason that most people travel to Vegas.”
This trip was a two-week solo holiday. Sally spent time in Palm Springs, California, before arriving in Las Vegas on June 15, 2026, and checking in at the Bungalows Hostel on South Las Vegas Boulevard. On June 19 she texted a friend that she was “about to hike up Lone Mountain” — a day before she was due to fly home. CCTV captured her at the Timbers Bar & Grill near Lone Mountain that night, where she was seen between about 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; staff said she appeared quiet but content, gambled a small amount, and used an ATM. Her family later told police she ordered breakfast the next morning at a nearby café, then boarded a bus toward Mount Charleston, the popular hiking destination northwest of Las Vegas — a hike investigators believe she may have completed before.
The last day
June 20, 2026, is the last day anyone heard from Sally. She returned to the hostel in the early hours of the morning and checked out remotely — but left her luggage behind, suggesting she intended to come back. Around 1 p.m., surveillance cameras captured her at Smith’s Marketplace buying water and snacks, and she told a friend she planned to hike near Lone Mountain. Her last known location that afternoon was on the outskirts of northwest Las Vegas, near Sky Canyon Drive — the Lone Mountain side of the city. She was expected to fly back to Australia the following day. She never boarded her flight.
The family realized something was wrong on June 21. “With the time difference, it got to the 21st here in Australia, and I was actually sleeping at Lauren’s house, and I said to her, wasn’t Sally supposed to be home today?” Amy said. She contacted their father, who had not heard from Sally either. “It became concerning immediately after we knew that… It was immediate fear. And just nothing felt real from that moment and has not felt real even to today.” Authorities confirmed Sally had boarded no domestic or international flight. A Greyhound ticket she had purchased to travel back to Los Angeles for her flight home was never scanned — no footage shows her boarding the bus.
The video that wasn’t a lead
Days before she vanished, Sally had a brief street encounter that would become one of the strangest artifacts of the case. On June 17, a content creator’s Ray-Ban Meta smart-glasses video captured a man approaching her outside a 7-Eleven on Boulder Highway, complimenting her appearance and asking for her phone number. She politely declined, saying she had a boyfriend. After she disappeared, the video went viral.
Amy confirmed the woman in the footage is her sister — “It’s definitely my sister. It’s definitely Sally in that video” — but does not believe the encounter is connected to her disappearance: “I think in my opinion, it just feels more like a coincidence than the video having actually anything to do with it.” Las Vegas police confirmed their missing-persons unit is aware of the video, the man who recorded it provided investigators with the original footage, and he is not considered a suspect.
A family’s search, four months on
The search has not stopped. Search dogs tracked Sally’s scent in the Lone Mountain area, though no trace of her has been found. Police recovered her luggage from the hostel, used search dogs with her clothing, and carried out a grid search of the areas where she was last seen. LVMPD has asked hospitals to check patient records as part of the search. Family members have flown from Australia to Las Vegas repeatedly to help search and to keep pressure on the investigation.
The family’s own fundraiser — “Fund Resources to find Sally Grace Contarino,” organized by her sister Lauren on behalf of their mother Lucy and siblings Lauren, Amy and Hayden — gives the clearest picture of where the official effort now stands. The family says no new information has emerged in Sally’s case since early July 2026, that Search and Rescue operations have been called off with no further searches planned unless new clues emerge, and that LVMPD has advised communication will now be monthly. The fundraiser is raising money for the family to return to the United States and continue searching themselves: flights and accommodation, a private investigator, DNA testing and investigative costs, support for Red Rock Search and Rescue, flyers and billboards, and cross-border legal advice. Local volunteers in Las Vegas have also kept searching outside the official effort. “We don’t know where she is. We don’t know what has happened. But we know we cannot give up,” the family writes.
By October, the family’s frustration had become public. An ABC News Australia video report on October 17, 2026 — headlined “Australian Sally Contarino still missing in Las Vegas four months on” — described the family accusing local authorities of bungling the investigation, with Sally’s sister messaging her every day hoping it will prompt information about her whereabouts and begging investigators not to give up. “The fact that people are taking their own time to go and look for my sister means the world, especially since we’re in Australia,” Amy said. “If anyone even thinks that they saw her or does know that they saw her, we can only ask, please come forward.”
Have information?
Contact the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Missing Persons Detail at (702) 828-2907 or email missingpersons@lvmpd.com. You can also reach LVMPD at 702-828-3111, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- June 15, 2026 — Sally arrives in Las Vegas after time in Palm Springs, California, on a two-week solo holiday, and checks in at the Bungalows Hostel on South Las Vegas Boulevard.
- June 17, 2026 — Street encounter outside a 7-Eleven on Boulder Highway is recorded on a content creator’s Meta smart glasses; the video later goes viral. Her family confirms it is Sally but does not believe it is connected.
- June 19, 2026 — Sally texts a friend that she is “about to hike up Lone Mountain.” CCTV captures her at the Timbers Bar & Grill near Lone Mountain between about 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; staff say she appeared quiet but content. Her last known contact with friends.
- June 20, 2026 — Sally returns to the Bungalows Hostel in the early hours, checks out remotely, and leaves her luggage behind. Around 1 p.m. she is captured at Smith’s Marketplace buying water and snacks and tells a friend she plans to hike near Lone Mountain; her last known location is near Sky Canyon Drive in northwest Las Vegas. Last contact with family.
- June 21, 2026 — Sally misses her scheduled return flight to Australia. Her family reports her missing after authorities confirm she boarded no domestic or international flight.
- Late June–July 2026 — LVMPD investigation; K9 teams track her scent toward Lone Mountain/Mount Charleston; police recover her luggage, run a grid search of the last-seen areas, and hospitals are asked to check patient records. International media coverage builds (Casino.org, July 2; Dispatch Times).
- After early July 2026 — Per the family’s fundraiser, no new information emerges, Search and Rescue operations are called off pending new clues, and LVMPD moves to monthly communication with the family. The family fundraises to return to the U.S., hire a private investigator, and support Red Rock Search and Rescue.
- October 17, 2026 — ABC News Australia reports she is “still missing in Las Vegas four months on,” with the family publicly criticizing the investigation.
- Today — Still missing. The LVMPD investigation remains open.
FAQ
Is Sally Grace Contarino still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Sally Grace Contarino has been missing for four months. An ABC News Australia report on October 17, 2026, headlined “still missing in Las Vegas four months on,” confirmed no resolution, and no “found” report has surfaced since.
Who was the man in the viral video?
A content creator using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses who recorded a brief encounter with Sally outside a 7-Eleven on Boulder Highway on June 17, 2026. He provided investigators with the original footage and is not considered a suspect. Her family confirmed the woman in the video is Sally but does not believe the encounter is connected to her disappearance.
Why is she classified as an “endangered missing adult”?
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department classified her as an endangered missing adult who may be experiencing severe emotional distress and could require medical attention. LVMPD asked hospitals to check patient records as part of the search.
What happened to her luggage and her Greyhound ticket?
She checked out of her hostel remotely on June 20 but left her luggage behind, which investigators took as a sign she intended to return. Police later recovered the luggage from the hostel. A Greyhound ticket she purchased from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was never scanned, and no footage shows her boarding the bus.
Where was Sally Grace Contarino last seen?
In northwest Las Vegas on June 20, 2026. Surveillance captured her around 1 p.m. buying water and snacks, and her last known location was near Sky Canyon Drive, on the Lone Mountain side of the city, after she told a friend she planned to hike near Lone Mountain. Investigators have also examined a possible bus trip toward Mount Charleston.
When did Sally arrive in Las Vegas, and how long was her trip?
She arrived on June 15, 2026, after visiting Palm Springs, California, on a two-week solo holiday in the United States. She was an experienced solo traveler who, her family says, had taken this Nevada trip a couple of times a year for the last three or four years.
Have the official searches been called off?
According to the family’s own fundraiser, yes — Search and Rescue operations were called off after early July 2026, with no further searches planned unless new clues emerge, and LVMPD advised the family that communication would be monthly. The LVMPD missing-persons investigation itself remains open, and local volunteers have continued searching.
How can I help?
Share this case file. If you were in the Lone Mountain or Mount Charleston areas around June 20, 2026, and saw anything, contact the LVMPD Missing Persons Detail at (702) 828-2907 or missingpersons@lvmpd.com. The family is also fundraising under “Fund Resources to find Sally Grace Contarino” to return to the U.S., hire a private investigator, and support Red Rock Search and Rescue, flyers and billboards.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Missing Persons Detail, 702-828-2907, missingpersons@lvmpd.com; LVMPD 702-828-3111) — “endangered missing adult” classification and investigation details as reported in the news coverage below.
- News: International Business Times Singapore, “Who Is Sally Grace Contarino? Family’s search for missing Australian tourist intensifies after missed [flight]” (detailed 2026 feature — family interviews, viral video, scent tracking); Casino.org, “Search Intensifies for Australian Tourist Sally Grace Contarino After Vanishing Near Las Vegas” (July 2, 2026 — Timbers Bar & Grill footage, Mount Charleston theory, LVMPD statement); Dispatch Times, “Urgent Hunt for Tourist, 26, Missing After Solo Las Vegas Trip” (June 28, 2026 — clothing description, hostel details); ABC News Australia, “Australian Sally Contarino still missing in Las Vegas four months on” (YouTube, October 17, 2026 — family’s criticism of the investigation); Internewscast / Daily Mail, “Last Known Movements of 26-Year-Old Tourist Missing in Las Vegas Revealed” (July 2026 — June 15 arrival after Palm Springs, June 19 “about to hike up Lone Mountain” text, Timbers 8:30–10:30 p.m., Sky Canyon Drive last location, luggage recovery and grid search).
- Family: GoFundMe, “Fund Resources to find Sally Grace Contarino” (organized by Lauren C for mother Lucy Contarino and siblings Lauren, Amy and Hayden — no new information since early July 2026, Search and Rescue called off pending new clues, monthly LVMPD communication, funds for return travel, private investigator, DNA testing, Red Rock Search and Rescue, flyers and billboards).
- Reference: VegasNews.com published the lead photograph of Sally as the feature image of its July 2026 missing-tourist report.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.