An 80-year-old Oakland woman has been missing since yesterday, prompting a statewide Silver Alert for Edith Egas, who was last seen on foot near the intersection of Lyon Avenue and High Street in East Oakland. Egas is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing about 100 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue leggings.
According to CHP Alerts, the alert was activated by the California Highway Patrol on behalf of the Oakland Police Department after Egas was last seen around 7:30 PM in the Lyon Avenue and High Street area, within the East Oakland neighborhood sometimes referred to as Boulevard Park, near Brookdale Park, Courtland Creek Park, and the High Street commercial corridor, according to Redfin. Anyone who sees Egas is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately, per the alert.
SILVER ALERT - Alameda County
— CHP - Alerts (@CHPAlerts) August 18, 2026
Last seen: Lyon Ave. and High St., Oakland@oaklandpoliceca
IF SEEN, CALL 9-1-1 pic.twitter.com/g0nmUaLl8i
How Silver Alerts Work Under California Law
California law lays out strict conditions before a Silver Alert can be issued. Under Government Code Section 8594.10, enacted through Senate Bill 1047, the CHP can only activate a Silver Alert once an investigating agency confirms the missing person is at least 65 years old or cognitively impaired, that local resources have already been exhausted, and that the person is in peril due to age, health, or environmental conditions, according to FindLaw. Those alerts are coordinated statewide, 24 hours a day, through the CHP's Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center in Sacramento, per the California Highway Patrol.
Because Egas is believed to be on foot rather than traveling by vehicle, the electronic highway message signs typically associated with Silver Alerts are not being used in this case. State law only permits those changeable highway signs to be activated when a vehicle is involved and specific vehicle details are available, the same FindLaw summary of the statute notes. That means the search relies instead on digital flyers, social media channels, and media broadcasts to spread Egas's description.
Why the Immediate Neighborhood Matters
Local officers may also lean on Reverse 911 calls and regional notification systems to alert residents near the last known location when a missing senior is believed to be walking, according to background compiled from Wikipedia's overview of Silver Alert protocols. That localized approach lines up with national research: the Alzheimer's Association has found that roughly 60% of people with dementia or cognitive impairment will wander at least once, and that 94% of missing wanderers are found within 1.5 miles of where they were last seen.
Time matters. A University of Florida College of Nursing study found that up to 46% of missing seniors with memory impairments face fatal outcomes if they are not located within the first 24 hours of wandering off, according to UF Health. That timeline underscores why authorities are pushing to circulate Egas's photo and description quickly through every available channel rather than waiting on additional leads.
Reporting a Sighting
Silver Alerts are one of six recognized public missing person alert types the CHP administers statewide, alongside the AMBER Alert, Blue Alert, Feather Alert, Ebony Alert, and Endangered Missing Advisory, according to the agency. The Ebony Alert, aimed at missing Black youth and women, was added most recently through Senate Bill 673 in 2023, per LegiScan, expanding on the Silver Alert model now in use for Egas.
Anyone who spots Edith Egas is urged to call 9-1-1 right away. The Oakland Police Department's Missing Persons Unit, which coordinates missing adult investigations and requests for state alert activations, can be reached at (510) 238-3641 for additional information. This case follows other recent Alameda County Silver Alerts, including one Hoodline covered involving a missing San Leandro senior in October 2025, as well as a Silver Alert issued for a missing Bayview man in San Francisco earlier this month.
