A 69-year-old man is missing after last being seen driving a white Mercedes Sprinter van near W Cutting Boulevard and Canal Boulevard in Richmond on Tuesday, prompting a Silver Alert that now stretches across four Bay Area counties. Alexander Drejes stands 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs about 175 pounds, and has gray hair and blue eyes, according to the alert. His clothing at the time he went missing is unknown.
The alert was activated by the California Highway Patrol on behalf of the Mill Valley Police Department, according to a post from CHP Alerts on X. Drejes was last seen in Richmond, in Contra Costa County, at roughly 7 PM, and he is believed to be driving a white 2014 Mercedes Sprinter Van bearing California license plate 88196N2. Anyone who spots Drejes or the van is asked to call 9-1-1.
SILVER ALERT - Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Counties
— CHP - Alerts (@CHPAlerts) August 20, 2026
Last seen: W Cutting Boulevard and Canal Boulevard, Richmond@City_of_MV
IF SEEN, CALL 9-1-1 pic.twitter.com/vmLa1PyjeC
Why the Search Spans Four Counties
The alert officially covers Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties, a wide net that reflects how far a driver could travel in a short time along Bay Area freeways. Richmond and Mill Valley, where the requesting police department is based, sit about 15 driving miles apart and are connected directly by Interstate 580 across the 5.5-mile Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Because Drejes is believed to be behind the wheel, that geography helps explain why authorities pushed the notification well beyond Contra Costa County, where he was last seen.
Silver Alerts exist under California Government Code Section 8594.10, a statute enacted in 2012 that allows public emergency notifications when a person 65 or older, or someone with a cognitive or developmental disability, goes missing and is determined to be at risk, according to FindLaw. The law was later amended by Senate Bill 1127, effective January 2015, to allow alerts for developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired missing individuals regardless of age, per CalAlerts.org. Because a vehicle description and license plate were available in this case, the statute also permits the CHP to activate electronic changeable message signs on state freeways to warn drivers, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
How the Alert Gets Coordinated and Shared
The CHP's Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center, known as ENTAC, operates around the clock in Sacramento as the state's designated coordinator for these alerts, assessing requests from local agencies such as the Mill Valley Police Department before publishing them regionally. The center disseminates the notifications across multiple platforms, including freeway overhead signs, Wireless Emergency Alerts sent to cellphones, and social media accounts such as @CHPAlerts on X, which has more than 250,000 followers.
This case arrives amid a broader regional rise in these kinds of notifications. Silver Alert activations across Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties jumped 52% in 2025, reaching 87 cases compared with 57 the year before, per the same Mercury News analysis of police records. Officials cited in that report attribute the increase to an aging population and to caregivers becoming more aware of the alert option.
What Happens Next in the Search
The outlook for cases like this one is generally encouraging: roughly 99% of Silver Alert missing-person cases in California are resolved successfully, with most individuals located in less than 24 hours. That data offers some context for families and neighbors watching a search unfold, even as the hours immediately after a disappearance carry real risk.
The dossier does not specify whether Drejes has a diagnosed cognitive condition, though Silver Alerts for at-risk individuals are often tied to concerns about wandering. Research from the Alzheimer's Association cited by the Mercury News found that roughly 60% of people living with dementia or cognitive impairments will wander away from home or care at least once, a risk that can turn dangerous quickly due to exposure, traffic, or unmet medical needs. It remains unknown what route Drejes may have taken after leaving Richmond or whether investigators have identified any additional leads on his location. Anyone with information is urged to call 9-1-1 immediately.
