Lantana Woman Missing Since 2024 — Sheriff Boosts Reward to $6,000 for Tips

Nearly two years after Sara Eileen Gallagher vanished from Lantana along with her pit bull and her car, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has renewed its public appeal for information, now backed by a reward of up to $6,000. Gallagher was last seen or heard from on October 31, 2024, and investigators say her disappearance involves suspicious circumstances.

According to WPEC, the Sheriff's Office and Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County jointly shared a video featuring photographs of Gallagher, details of the increased reward, and a direct plea for information. The station reports that the agency is investigating Gallagher's disappearance and said that a tip could help bring answers to her loved ones. Detective Nancy Milliner has been assigned to lead the case, tracked under agency case number 24-121809, according to the Boca Raton Tribune.

Gallagher, described in missing person registries as a 5-foot-7-inch woman weighing about 120 pounds, has multiple ear piercings and several distinctive tattoos, including a Smurf on her shoulder, a black four-leaf clover with vines on her lower back, and the name Sara on her right ankle, per The Charley Project. At the time she was last seen, she was with her 9-year-old tan-and-white pit bull, Cooper, who has identifiable lumps on his back, and was driving a white 2023 Kia bearing Florida license plate 37KPP. Neither the dog nor the vehicle has been located.

Last Known Movements in Lantana

Gallagher was reportedly last seen walking her dog near the intersection of Hypoluxo Road and Eastview Drive in Lantana, following a visit to The Hive, a dog-friendly spot in Lake Worth Beach, according to Surftiva. That stretch of road marks the final confirmed sighting tied to her case, and the lack of any subsequent trace — no license plate reader hits, no sightings of Cooper, no digital activity — is part of what has kept the case classified as suspicious.

The timeline of Gallagher's final contact has varied slightly across reporting. Early flyers placed her last contact around October 23, 2024, near her mother's birthday, while later official statements from the Sheriff's Office anchor her last confirmed contact to Halloween, October 31, 2024, per the Boca Post and Surftiva accounts. Her disappearance was formally reported to law enforcement after her family in Pennsylvania requested a welfare check when several weeks passed without hearing from her.

A Career HR Professional, Absent Without Explanation

Before she went missing, Gallagher had worked for over a decade in the human resources department at Halifax Health and maintained close, regular communication with her family in Pennsylvania, according to Surftiva. That consistency is part of why her sudden silence struck relatives and investigators as so uncharacteristic.

The Sheriff's Office has not disclosed additional details about the circumstances of her disappearance in its latest appeal, per WPEC's report. Tipsters can submit information through crimestopperspbc.com, the Florida Crime Stoppers mobile app, or by calling Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County anonymously at 800-458-TIPS (8477), and can remain anonymous throughout the process.

Reward Reflects Case's Priority Status

Standard Crime Stoppers rewards for anonymous tips leading to an arrest typically cap at $3,000, but specialized case funds allow for boosted rewards of $6,000 or more in high-priority missing persons investigations, according to Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County. Tipsters whose information leads to an arrest in Gallagher's case may be eligible for that full $6,000 reward.

Gallagher's case is one of thousands working through Florida's missing persons system. As of early 2025, the state had more than 2,400 open missing persons cases, among the highest volumes in the country, according to a Medium analysis. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement coordinates data and alerts for such cases through its Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse, which centralizes information for adults considered endangered or missing under suspicious circumstances.

Hoodline previously covered search efforts for Gallagher in the months after she went missing. Nearly two years later, her family, investigators, and the community around Lantana are still waiting for the answers that could bring the case closer to resolution.