Kona Gallagher 6/12/26 Kona Gallagher 6/12/26

Karlie Gusé

On the morning of October 13, 2018, 16-year-old Karlie Gusé walked out of her family's home in Chalfant Valley, California — without her phone, without her wallet, and without a coat. She hasn't been seen since.

"She seemed really out of it — like something was very wrong."

That's how the night of October 12, 2018 was described by those around 16-year-old Karlie Gusé in the hours before she vanished. Karlie had gone to a party with her boyfriend and some friends in Chalfant Valley, California — a small, remote community in the high desert on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada. She smoked marijuana that night, and something about it sent her into a state of intense, escalating paranoia.

Her stepmother picked her up, brought her home, and stayed with her until she fell asleep.

When she woke up around 7:30 a.m. on October 13th, Karlie was gone.

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The Morning She Disappeared

Karlie left without her phone, wallet, or any other personal belongings. In the freezing pre-dawn desert, she walked out wearing what was likely a white t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and Vans sneakers.

She wasn't invisible that morning. Three witnesses saw her. According to them, she was walking near her neighborhood, holding a piece of paper, looking up at the sky, and moving in the direction of U.S. Highway 6. The last confirmed sighting placed her near some sagebrush at the edge of the highway.

Search dogs picked up her trail and followed it — until they reached Highway 6. There, the scent ended.

The ground search lasted nearly two weeks before it was officially called off. The FBI was brought in, but no trace of Karlie was ever found.

A Case That Refuses to Stay Quiet

Karlie's disappearance didn't stay contained to a small California county. It spread — through true crime forums, social media groups, and competing theories that split her own family publicly apart. Her mother went on national television to make allegations. People who had never met Karlie were convinced they knew what happened to her.

Through all of it, the case stayed open. Because the answer, whatever it is, has never surfaced.

Then, in 2021, a new lead emerged.

A witness came forward claiming to have seen a girl matching Karlie's description at a party in Tonopah, Nevada — a small mining town more than 100 miles from Chalfant Valley, connected to it by a single road: Highway 6. Investigators reportedly identified a vehicle that may have carried her there.

No further details have been made public. Karlie has still never been found.

Missing Person: Karlie Lain Gusé

Karlie Gusé has been missing from Chalfant Valley, California since October 13, 2018. She is a white female with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was 16 years old, approximately 5'7" and 110 pounds, with a piercing in her left nostril. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and Vans shoes. She may wear glasses.

If you have information, contact the Mono County Sheriff's Office at (760) 932-5678 or by email at karliegusetips@monosheriff.org. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to her location.

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