SeaTac Silver Alert: 66-Year-Old May Be Walking Toward Federal Way

A 66-year-old SeaTac man has been missing since Tuesday afternoon, and investigators say his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety. Paul Rogowski was last seen around 2 p.m. off S 175th Street in SeaTac and may be heading toward Federal Way, according to a statewide Silver Alert issued for him.

The alert was issued by the Washington State Patrol on behalf of the King County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating Rogowski's disappearance, according to WSP Missing Person Alerts. Rogowski is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and 124 pounds, with brown and gray hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark gray sweatshirt and pants. Investigators say he may appear confused and unable to return without assistance. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 911, and the case has been assigned number C26023981 with the sheriff's office's non-emergency line, 206-296-3311, available for tips.

Because SeaTac contracts its municipal policing to the King County Sheriff's Office, deputies assigned to the department are handling the ground search as SeaTac Police, operating out of Southwest Precinct 4, per the City of SeaTac. That arrangement has been in place since the city incorporated in 1990, and it means the same deputies who patrol SeaTac's streets day to day are the ones canvassing the S 175th Street area now.

Why Federal Way Is the Focus

The alert's warning that Rogowski may be heading toward Federal Way points investigators toward a specific corridor. S 175th Street connects directly to State Route 99, also known as Pacific Highway South, which is served by King County Metro's RapidRide A Line running straight from SeaTac to the Federal Way Transit Center, according to King County Metro data. Downtown Federal Way sits roughly 8 to 10 miles south of the S 175th Street area, connected by both Interstate 5 and SR 99 through Des Moines and Kent, per Sound Transit route information.

Notably, overnight bus frequency along that exact stretch just increased. In August, King County Metro rolled out a service expansion that boosted overnight RapidRide A Line frequency between SeaTac and Federal Way to every 30 minutes, part of a broader addition of hundreds of daily trips across South King County, the transit agency announced. That means Rogowski, if he boarded a bus, could have more transit options along the route than would have existed just weeks earlier.

Why Speed Matters in Silver Alert Cases

Washington's Silver Alert system, established in 2015 under RCW 13.60.010, lets the Washington State Patrol broadcast statewide advisories when someone 60 or older with dementia or a cognitive impairment disappears under circumstances that threaten their safety. The law does not allow police to impose a waiting period, such as 24 or 48 hours, before accepting a missing person report or launching a search for an at-risk adult, and separate state law directs local agencies to enter missing person details into statewide databases without delay.

That urgency reflects real risk. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that about 60 percent of people living with dementia will wander at some point, and that up to half of those who remain missing for more than 24 hours suffer serious injury or death. Wandering is often driven by disorientation or an urge to return to a past routine, the organization notes. In King County specifically, an estimated 33,500 residents 65 and older — about 10.8 percent of the county's senior population — live with Alzheimer's disease, ranking the county fourth among Washington's 39 counties for senior prevalence, according to data reported by Stacker.

How the Alert Reaches the Public

Once a local agency like the King County Sheriff's Office requests activation, the Washington State Patrol's 24-hour clearinghouse pushes biographical details and photo bulletins out to law enforcement and media statewide, tying into national missing-person systems under RCW 13.60.010. The agency currently maintains a slate of active Amber, Silver, EMPA and MIPA alerts across Washington. State lawmakers have also introduced Senate Bill 5822 for the 2025-2026 session, which would require WSP to report annually on Silver Alert recovery rates, response times, and cooperation between agencies, according to BillTrack50.

Rogowski's case comes amid a string of recent Silver Alerts across the region. Hoodline reported on a missing Greenwood senior found with his chihuahua earlier this week, and an alert for a missing Burien man ended safely earlier this month when he was located and the alert canceled. For now, Rogowski remains missing, and anyone who spots him along S 175th Street, the SR 99 corridor, or near Federal Way is urged to call 911 immediately.