A statewide Senior Alert is underway for 79-year-old Mary Rebecca Soutar, who was last seen walking west toward 75th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard in Westminster at approximately 8 a.m. Sunday. Soutar, a white female with grey hair and blue eyes, stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. She was last seen wearing a lavender top, a hat, and glasses, and law enforcement says she has a cognitive disability that has raised serious concern for her safety.
The alert was issued by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which posted Soutar's description and last-known movements Monday afternoon. Anyone who spots Soutar is asked to call 911 or contact the Westminster Police Department directly at 303-658-4360, the same number the CBI says should be used for media inquiries about the case. The alert notes law enforcement's concern stems specifically from her cognitive condition combined with the circumstances of her disappearance.
How Colorado's Senior Alert System Works
Colorado's Missing Senior Citizen Alert Program dates back to April 4, 2006, when then-Governor Bill Owens signed Senate Bill 06-057 into law, creating a statewide media broadcast system for missing elderly residents, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Under the statute, a Senior Alert can only be activated when the missing person is a Colorado resident at least 60 years old, has a mental impairment verified by local law enforcement, and faces a disappearance that poses a credible threat to their safety and health. That means Westminster police had to confirm Soutar's cognitive impairment before the state could broadcast the alert.
Once approved, the bureau distributes the missing person's details to participating television and radio stations across the state, and can display vehicle information on Colorado Department of Transportation highway message boards if a car is involved, per the same agency. The program was expanded in February 2007 under House Bill 07-1005 to also cover missing individuals of any age with a verified developmental disability. Colorado was among the first states in the nation to build a dedicated alert system for vulnerable adults, modeling it after the national AMBER Alert program for missing children, according to historical legislative background compiled by EveryCRSReport.com.
Why Speed Matters in the Search
Westminster spans portions of both Adams and Jefferson counties, and the Westminster Police Department handles municipal police operations across that jurisdiction, requiring residents to report missing vulnerable adults immediately so officers can launch ground searches and coordinate with state investigators, according to the Adams County Sheriff's Office. The area near West 75th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, where Soutar was last seen, is a mixed commercial and residential corridor located near elder care facilities, including the San Marino Retirement Community on West 75th Avenue, according to Seniorly. The vicinity also includes single-family subdivisions, meaning searchers are likely combing a dense, familiar residential grid.
National data underscores why authorities are moving quickly. Roughly 6 in 10 people living with dementia or other cognitive impairments will wander away from home at least once, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The same data shows that 94% of missing individuals with cognitive impairments who wander on foot are found within 1.5 miles of where they were last seen, making the immediate area around 75th and Sheridan especially critical to search efforts.
Time is also a major factor in survival outcomes. Research compiled by the MedicAlert Foundation indicates that 72% of missing seniors with dementia who wander are found alive within the first 24 hours, but that survival rate drops sharply to 51% by the second day and just 20% between days three and five. That steep decline is why officials are urging anyone with information on Soutar's whereabouts to call 911 or the Westminster Police Department without delay.
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