Silver Alert Issued for Palmdale Woman, 67, Missing Since Wednesday Evening

A Silver Alert is active for Cheryl Griffin, a 67-year-old Palmdale woman last seen two days ago near 9th Street East and East Avenue Q-11, wearing a pink shirt, pink sweatpants and carrying a pink backpack. Authorities describe her as an at-risk missing person who is believed to be on foot, and they are asking anyone who spots her to call 9-1-1 immediately.

The California Highway Patrol activated the alert on behalf of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, according to a bulletin shared by CHP - Alerts. Griffin was last seen the evening of Wednesday, August 26, at approximately 6:45 p.m., in the Palmdale neighborhood, and CHP says it was notified of her disappearance on Friday. She is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

The intersection where Griffin vanished sits in an urban residential stretch of central Palmdale near affordable housing developments and multi-family projects, according to City of Palmdale planning documents reviewed via CEQAnet. That density means missing-person searches in the area often hinge on residents checking home security footage, since people who go missing on foot frequently remain close to their last known location.

Who Is Investigating the Disappearance

Missing person cases in Palmdale fall under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Palmdale Station, working alongside the department's specialized Missing Persons Unit within its Homicide Bureau, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. LASD provides contract police services for the city, and the sheriff's department is the agency now seeking Griffin.

Behind the scenes, the California Highway Patrol's Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center, known as ENTAC, coordinates the statewide alert process from a facility in Sacramento staffed around the clock, according to the California Highway Patrol. Local agencies like LASD's Palmdale Station request activation, and ENTAC evaluates and issues the public notification once a person is deemed at risk.

Why California Silver Alerts Move So Fast

California's Silver Alert system dates back to 2012, when Senate Bill 1047 created the notifications and codified them under Government Code section 8594.10, according to the California Highway Patrol. A 2015 amendment, Senate Bill 1127, broadened eligibility beyond seniors to include developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired adults of any age, per records from CalAlerts.org.

State law also sets a strict clock for officers once someone is classified as at risk. Under California Penal Code Section 14211(e), agencies must log missing person reports into statewide and national databases within two hours, according to the California Department of Justice. Those entries feed directly into the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System and the National Crime Information Center, giving officers across the state real-time access to Griffin's description.

Unlike an AMBER Alert, which requires evidence of an abduction and an imminent threat of death or serious injury, a Silver Alert operates under broader risk criteria and relies on tools like electronic highway signs and social media rather than interrupting television broadcasts, according to Parentgiving. California law also permits reverse 911 neighborhood calls, freeway messaging signs and Wireless Emergency Alerts with clickable flyers to accelerate tips during an active search, per the California Highway Patrol.

The Medical Urgency Behind the Search

Public safety research cited by the National Institutes of Health found that roughly 60 percent of people with cognitive impairments will wander at least once, and those who wander on foot and remain unlocated for more than 24 hours face a heightened risk of serious injury or death, according to a study published on PubMed Central. That research underscores why a rapid, coordinated response from both local deputies and state alerting systems matters in cases like Griffin's.

Griffin's case is one of several Silver Alerts issued across Los Angeles County this month. Hoodline previously reported on searches for a missing Reseda man, as well as an at-risk woman in North Hollywood and an elderly man reported missing from the same South Los Angeles corner twice. Each involved a vulnerable adult who had gone missing on foot in a dense residential area.

Anyone with information on Cheryl Griffin's whereabouts is urged to call 9-1-1. Residents near 9th Street East and East Avenue Q-11 are encouraged to check any home security footage from the past two days that might show her passing through the area.