The South Bend Police Department has canceled the Silver Alert for 18-year-old Evita Garcia after confirming she has been found safe, WTHR reported. Previously, concerns were high as the department emphasized that Garcia was believed to be in extreme danger and potentially in need of medical assistance, she having been last seen Tuesday around 4 p.m. at the 1500 block of Poland Street in South Bend.
In their search effort, police provided a description of the missing teenager as a Hispanic female standing 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 105 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes moreover, she had been wearing a pink Nike zip hoodie, ripped blue jeans, and blue and white Nikes at the time of her disappearance, WISHTV detailed. The South Bend Police Department reached out to the public for assistance and advised that anyone with information on Garcia could contact them at 574-235-9202 or simply dial 911.
Silver Alerts are not as frequently in the headlines as Amber Alerts, yet serve an important role for missing and endangered adults, including children over the age of 18; these alerts are issued by police when specific standards of a disappearance case are met, as elucidated in a WTHR report. Notably, while Amber Alerts pertain to children younger than 18 believed to have been abducted and in danger, a Silver Alert can be issued for a broader range of missing persons cases.
The community's relief came when the South Bend Police Department announced at 10:20 a.m. that 'Evita is now home and no longer missing,' a resolution brought about in no small part thanks to the issuance of the alert and the collective vigilance of those informed, ABC 57 News reported.
