The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation successfully concluded a Silver Alert for 75-year-old Kathleen Southward, after she was found safe in Fentress County, WVLT reports. The TBI had earlier issued the alert when Southward was reported missing from the Eagle Bluff area in Jamestown, where she was last seen wearing black shorts and potentially blue shoes, described as 5'6" and 180 lbs., with hazel eyes and gray hair.
#TNSilverAlert: We need your help to find Kathleen Southward, who is missing from Fentress County.
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) July 19, 2024
The 75 y/o is 5'6", 180 lbs., with hazel eyes and gray hair, last seen today in the area of Eagle Bluff in Jamestown.
Spot her? 1-800-TBI-FIND! pic.twitter.com/gWOfRh9slz
Concern raised by the TBI pertained to Southward's medical condition, which could impair her ability to return home without assistance; those with any information were urged to contact local authorities, a plea now resolved with her safe recovery, which WBIR first revealed late on Friday following a little more than an hour after the missing person alert was disseminated she was found and the Silver Alert was subsequently canceled.
Reflective of a broader issue, data indicates nearly 400 individuals go missing in Tennessee on an annual basis, a tally that works out to about five per every 100,000 residents, as reported by WATE; the list of those missing from East Tennessee and surrounding areas remains an area of public concern, with citizens encouraged to remain vigilant and aid in locating others who may still be missing.
The coordination between the community and law enforcement agencies highlights the significance of community engagement in aiding such urgent situations where each minute, perhaps each second, counts very dearly in ensuring a positive outcome for those vulnerable, particularly for elderly individuals with conditions that affect their capacity for safe navigation and the community spirit manifests indeed in quick, collective responses to Silver Alerts as demonstrated by the safe resolution in the case of Kathleen Southward.
