A Silver Alert is active for a 68-year-old San Antonio man last seen early Wednesday morning near Harefield Drive and Callaghan Road on the city's West Side, as searchers race against a fresh stretch of triple-digit heat. Ovidio Chojolan is described as a white man standing 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing approximately 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen around 2 a.m. wearing a light blue t-shirt with the word Florida printed on it and blue jeans.
The Texas Department of Public Safety issued the Silver Alert for Chojolan after he was reported missing from the 5500 block of Harefield Drive, according to KSAT. The station reported that anyone who spots him should call 911 immediately rather than wait to contact investigators. As WOAI first reported, anyone with information can also reach the San Antonio Police Department directly at 210-207-7660.
ACTIVE SILVER ALERT for Ovidio Abelardo Chojolan from San Antonio, TX, on 8/13/2026. pic.twitter.com/QPGK1yuk3K
— Texas Alerts (@TX_Alerts) August 13, 2026
Heat Adds Urgency to the Search
Searchers are working against a punishing forecast. KSAT's weather team has warned that San Antonio is entering a late-season run of triple-digit heat, a stretch that creates severe thermal risks for anyone vulnerable exposed outdoors for extended periods. That warning is especially pressing given that a Silver Alert can only be activated once officials have documented evidence of danger tied to the missing person's condition.
Texas law sets a high bar before the state will issue a Silver Alert at all. Under state rules, the missing person must be at least 65 years old or diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, must be a Texas resident, must have a medical professional's written diagnosis of cognitive impairment, and must present a credible threat to their own health and safety, according to guidance published by Alzheimer's Texas and detailed by the news outlet MyParisTexas. Local law enforcement agencies are required to request the alert within 72 hours of a disappearance, and state highway message signs are only activated once accurate vehicle details are confirmed — which is part of why digital highway boards may not appear in cases where someone disappeared on foot, per guidance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
What the Numbers Say About Recovery Odds
The statistics offer both urgency and reason for hope. Health data from Alzheimer's Texas indicates that six out of 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once, and roughly half of those missing for more than 24 hours suffer serious injury or death — a grim reminder of why the first day of a search matters most. At the same time, a study published in JAMA Network Open that analyzed Texas Department of Public Safety Silver Alert data from 2017 to 2022 found that 94.7% of missing older adults with dementia were eventually located, with disappearances tending to peak on Wednesdays, at night, and around holidays.
Search research cited by Hoodline this month suggests that among missing seniors who wander on foot, about 53% are found within one mile of where they started, and roughly 75% are located within five miles — underscoring why searchers typically concentrate first on the immediate neighborhood. Statewide, the scale of these cases is significant: data compiled by the Texas Center for the Missing and reported by Hoodline showed Texas law enforcement agencies logged 40,309 missing-person reports in 2025, including 12,080 involving adults over 18.
A Pattern of West Side Alerts
Chojolan's case follows a string of recent Silver Alerts issued for San Antonio seniors. Just last week, a Silver Alert for 77-year-old Maria Medellin, also issued on the West Side, ended safely the same day when she was found and reunited with family. That case offers encouraging local precedent, though officials have not indicated whether Chojolan's search will move as quickly.
The San Antonio Police Department maintains a dedicated Missing Persons Unit that conducts local investigations and coordinates with the Texas DPS Fusion Center to issue statewide alerts like the one now active for Chojolan. Residents in the Harefield Drive and Callaghan Road area are urged to remain alert given both his physical description and the dangerous heat forecast for the days ahead. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7660.
