The family of Katie Walker, a British-born mother of two who disappeared in Sydney's eastern suburbs, is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts or the recovery of her personal belongings. Walker, 46, was last seen on CCTV footage walking down Alexander Street in Tamarama at 1:12 p.m. on Saturday, May 23.
She was reportedly wearing high-heeled boots, jeans, and a black coat, and carrying a red Versace handbag. Nine days after her last sighting, her father in the UK, Bassam Shlewet, realized no one had heard from her after a call with her Australian ex-partner. She was officially reported missing on June 2.
While police have expressed concerns that Walker may have taken her own life, her family and friends dispute this possibility, arguing that such an event would have been witnessed given the busy location and time of day. Walker had two suitcases packed in her Darling Point apartment and had contacted a travel agency about booking tickets to leave Australia. Her phone was last pinged at a tower in Bondi at 7:40 p.m. on the day she vanished.
Her family, frustrated by the pace of the NSW Police investigation, hired a private investigator in the UK. A missing persons poster distributed by the family offers the reward for credible information concerning Walker's whereabouts or the recovery of her phone, handbag, shoes, or other personal effects. Concerns have also been raised as someone has been deleting photos from Walker's social media accounts, her Telegram account, and her jewelry website.
A friend, who spoke anonymously due to safety concerns, told the Daily Mail that Walker had expressed fears of being followed in both Dubai and Sydney, leading the friend to suspect she may be a victim of human trafficking.
Walker's ex-husband, US-based wellness guru Dean Taraborelli, stated he was unaware of her activities after she departed their Arizona home for Dubai in late 2023. He noted a significant change in her appearance and lifestyle, describing her as suddenly being "really dressed up with fake eyelashes and taking all these pictures with rich people in Dubai." He suggested "something definitely happened to her in Dubai" that caused this transformation.
The friend recounted that Walker's difficulties began after her divorce, when she invested $200,000 in a Dubai-based blockchain company in 2024, only to be unable to retrieve her funds. Subsequently, in early 2026, an Australian man allegedly entered her Dubai hotel room with two other men under false pretenses. Walker reported being terrified and screaming, alerting other guests, which led the men to flee. Hotel CCTV footage reportedly showed the man Walker recognized from the hotel lobby.
Walker traveled to Australia in February to reconnect with her two teenage children, who live with their father in Sydney. Shortly after her arrival, she reportedly told her friend she saw the same Australian man on a Sydney beach, which the friend found to be a significant coincidence given Walker's subsequent claims of being followed.
Her father confirmed that Walker had intended to reconnect with her children from a previous marriage to an Australian man. He stated that she arrived in Sydney with funds from her US$500,000 divorce settlement, but her accounts were frozen and empty by the time she went missing. She was reportedly relying on her father for financial assistance with rent and daily expenses. Texts between Walker and her father from late March to early June indicate she was experiencing phone issues, which partially explained her delayed responses. However, her father became concerned when she stopped responding altogether between May 15 and June 2.
After realizing she had been out of contact for approximately nine days, Mr. Shlewet contacted her ex-partner in Australia. A missing persons report was filed on June 2. Mr. Shlewet and his son traveled to Sydney to investigate, using drones and speaking with locals, but found no trace of Walker. Walker is described as slim, approximately 172 cm tall, with brown eyes, long brown hair, and a small black butterfly tattoo on her right hand. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers NSW.