A 35-year-old Kent man has been missing for ten days, and Washington State Patrol activated a statewide Endangered Missing Person Advisory Tuesday warning that his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety. Raughshee Nelson was last seen on August 8 at approximately 2 p.m. off Central Avenue South in Kent, heading in an unknown direction, and investigators say he may appear confused and unable to find his way home without assistance.
The alert, activated on behalf of the Kent Police Department, was formally requested and received by state troopers on Monday, according to WSP Missing Person Alerts. Nelson is described as Black, 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 300 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, black shorts, and a fluorescent vest and fluorescent hat — distinctive gear that authorities hope will help the public spot him along the busy corridor.
Central Avenue South is a major north-south commercial and transit arterial running through the Kent Valley, carrying heavy vehicular traffic and connecting directly to regional bus routes, according to the City of Kent. That corridor links downtown Kent to nearby commercial districts and broader transportation lines, making it plausible Nelson could have traveled some distance from where he was last spotted.
Why the State Stepped In
Washington's Endangered Missing Person Advisory system, established under state law in 2010, gives law enforcement a formal pathway to broadcast public alerts when someone is believed to be in danger but doesn't meet AMBER Alert criteria. Under state statute, an EMPA can only be issued if a person is missing under unexplained, involuntary, or suspicious circumstances and is believed to be endangered due to physical or mental health, age, severe weather, or cognitive confusion. In Nelson's case, the investigating agency determined his disappearance posed a credible threat to his safety, per the alert.
State law also requires local police to enter missing person data into statewide computerized networks within six hours of a report, ensuring regional agencies are quickly made aware of at-risk individuals. WSP's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit maintains a toll-free statewide hotline and coordinates alert distribution across media outlets, emergency management agencies, and Department of Transportation highway signs to widen public reach once an EMPA is approved.
A Narrow Threshold for Statewide Alerts
These broad alerts remain relatively rare. According to Washington State Patrol annual data, the agency issued 39 Endangered Missing Person Advisories, 132 Silver Alerts, and 13 AMBER Alerts statewide during 2025 — a reflection of how strictly the state reserves emergency public alerts for high-risk cases, as Hoodline reported in its earlier coverage of a Queen Anne teen’s disappearance. Lawmakers expanded the state's alert framework further in May, adding Ebony Alerts for missing Black individuals and Purple Alerts for missing individuals with disabilities under House Bill E2SSB 6070.
Kent Police have handled similar cases before. In July, the department issued a public alert for a 58-year-old resident with mental health concerns who needed assistance returning home safely, illustrating a pattern of the department seeking community help when residents face cognitive or health risks. Hoodline also previously covered a Kent search for another vulnerable missing resident.
How to Help
The Kent Police Department is asking anyone with information to call its non-emergency line at 253-856-5800, referencing case number 26-08214. Anyone who sees Nelson is urged to call 911 immediately. Non-emergency calls to Kent Police route through the regional Valley Communications center, which connects tips directly to dispatchers coordinating with investigators.
