A statewide SAFE Alert is out for 13-year-old Kaleb Wyble, a Phoenix boy who has a medical condition that can cause him to become lost easily. He was last seen Thursday night near 19th Avenue and Evans Drive, a stretch of the city that sits between Greenway and Thunderbird roads.
Phoenix Police describe Wyble as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds, with red or auburn hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black tank top featuring a graphic of a female, gray shorts, and black Nike shoes, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department's Missing Person Unit at 602-534-2121, or after hours at 602-262-6151.
This is not the first time Wyble has gone missing. In October 2023, when he was 11 and diagnosed with high-functioning autism, he disappeared near 6500 W. Glendale Avenue in Glendale before being located safe by Glendale Police later that same night, according to KPNX-TV 12News.
Why a 13-Year-Old Qualifies for an Alert Once Reserved for Seniors
The SAFE Alert — short for Seek and Find Emergency Alert — is a relatively new tool in Arizona's public safety arsenal. The Arizona Department of Public Safety launched the program on September 26, 2025, replacing and expanding the state's former Silver Alert system, per the agency's own release.
Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1728, the alert applies not only to missing people 65 and older but also to individuals of any age diagnosed with a developmental disability under A.R.S. § 36-551.20 or a cognitive disability under § 36-551.15 — the legal basis that allowed a 13-year-old to trigger a statewide notification historically associated with elderly residents. The statute explicitly bars law enforcement from delaying or denying an alert once statutory criteria are met, and it requires agencies to conduct biannual training on alert protocols.
Before requesting a SAFE Alert from state authorities, investigating agencies are required by law to exhaust local resources first — entering the missing person into the National Crime Information Center database, issuing BOLO bulletins, and checking hospitals and local jails. The fact that a statewide alert was ultimately issued for Wyble indicates Phoenix Police had already worked through those steps and determined public help was needed given the danger factors tied to his condition.
How the Alert Reaches Drivers and Residents Across the State
Once activated, SAFE Alerts are broadcast using Arizona Department of Transportation electronic highway message signs — 108 of them in the Valley and 193 statewide — alongside public safety and media alert networks, according to AZDPS. The old Silver Alert system it replaced maintained a 98% success rate in locating missing individuals, with most recovered within 18 hours of issuance, per Axios Phoenix.
Phoenix Police policy states there is no mandatory waiting period before filing a missing person report, and anyone with a legitimate concern for someone's welfare may file one, according to the City of Phoenix. The city also offers a voluntary program called Smart Notifications for 1st Responders, which lets families pre-register behavioral and medical information so first responders have context during encounters with vulnerable residents, per the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix.
A Growing Menu of Statewide Alerts
The SAFE Alert is part of a broader overhaul of Arizona's missing-person notification system. In July 2025, Governor Katie Hobbs's office announced the launch of the Turquoise Alert, also known as Emily's Law, creating a dedicated alert for missing endangered people under 65 whose disappearances involve suspicious or life-threatening circumstances — filling a gap between AMBER and SAFE alerts.
Wyble's case follows other recent SAFE Alert activations in the Phoenix area. Hoodline previously reported on a man who vanished near 19th Avenue earlier this month, and on a nonspeaking 23-year-old Phoenix Police searched for under the same expanded alert system in late July.
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