A Silver Alert is active for Sunkhirous Yadegar, a 63-year-old man last seen on foot in Reseda around 1:10 p.m. Saturday near Friar Street and Sylvia Avenue. He was wearing a light-blue shirt, beige pants, a white baseball cap and black shoes when he disappeared, and authorities are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 911.
The California Highway Patrol activated the alert on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to MyNewsLA.com. Yadegar is described as a bald white male standing 6 feet tall and weighing around 200 pounds, with brown eyes. CHP issues Silver Alerts when an elderly person, or someone who is developmentally or cognitively impaired, goes missing and is determined to be at risk, per the same outlet's reporting.
Why a 63-Year-Old Qualifies for a Silver Alert
Yadegar's age might raise questions for readers familiar with the program's original scope, since California's Silver Alert system was historically tied to a threshold of 65 and older under Senate Bill 1047, passed in 2012. That changed with Senate Bill 1127, which expanded eligibility to missing individuals of any age who are developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired, according to Hoodline. That legal change is why a 63-year-old can still trigger the same statewide notification reserved for older missing seniors.
Once LAPD's West Valley Community Police Station, which covers 33.5 square miles and nearly 197,000 residents across San Fernando Valley neighborhoods from its Vanowen Street headquarters, satisfies the initial missing-person criteria, the request moves up the chain. Requests are routed to the California Highway Patrol's Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center in Sacramento, a 24-hour facility that coordinates Silver Alerts statewide, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Speed Matters When Someone Wanders on Foot
State law moves fast once a report like Yadegar's comes in. California Penal Code Section 14211 requires local agencies to log missing person reports for at-risk individuals into statewide and national law enforcement databases within two hours of receiving them, and California Department of Justice guidelines bar any mandatory waiting period before police must accept a report.
That urgency reflects real risk for people who go missing on foot. Medical research compiled by the National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer's Association indicates that roughly 60% of individuals with cognitive impairments wander, and up to half of missing adults who wander on foot and remain unlocated for more than 24 hours suffer serious injury or death. It is not publicly known whether Yadegar has a specific medical or cognitive condition, whether search-and-rescue units have deployed in Reseda, or whether any tips or video footage have established a direction of travel.
No Freeway Signs, But Digital Alerts Statewide
Because Yadegar was last seen on foot rather than in a vehicle, state rules under California Government Code Section 8594.10 direct the CHP to spread the word through digital flyers, Emergency Digital Information Service messages and social media channels like @CHPAlerts, rather than the electronic freeway signs used for vehicle-based cases. The Silver Alert is one of seven specialized public emergency notification networks the CHP manages, alongside AMBER, Blue, Feather, Ebony, Yellow and Endangered Missing Advisory alerts.
Statewide, the number of missing person reports for dependent adults with physical or mental limitations has been climbing, with 1,766 logged in 2025, up from 1,639 in 2024 and 1,643 in 2023, according to the California Department of Justice. Regional statistics cited by San Fernando Valley news outlets suggest that roughly 70% of missing persons in California are located or return voluntarily within 48 to 72 hours, though outcomes vary widely by case. Yadegar's disappearance follows a string of recent Silver Alerts across the region, including a Sanger man missing on foot and a Pico-Union man with dementia. Anyone with information on Yadegar's whereabouts is urged to call 911.
