An 88-year-old Whittier man has been missing since Sunday afternoon, prompting a statewide Silver Alert from authorities who say he is believed to be traveling on foot. William Argo was last seen at approximately 12 p.m. on August 9 near Freiburg St. and College Ave. in Whittier, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 185 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a grayish blue shirt, dirty blue jeans, and tan shoes.
The alert was activated by the California Highway Patrol on behalf of the Whittier Police Department, according to a post from CHP - Alerts, the agency's account for disseminating details and flyers on active alerts. Anyone who spots Argo is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately. California's Silver Alert program, established under Government Code § 8594.10, allows CHP to issue public notifications when an older adult or cognitively impaired person goes missing under unexplained or dangerous circumstances, with local police departments typically requesting the statewide activation once municipal resources are exhausted.
Why Freeway Signs Won't Show This Alert
Unlike some missing-person cases, drivers on nearby freeways won't see Argo's description on electronic message boards. Per CHP guidelines, those changeable signs are reserved for cases involving a verified vehicle description, meaning alerts for missing pedestrians like Argo depend instead on digital flyers, social media sharing, and local police broadcasts. That makes public vigilance in Whittier neighborhoods especially important in the search.
It's a pattern that has played out before in Whittier. In March, CHP activated a similar Silver Alert on behalf of the Whittier Police Department for 67-year-old Francisco Diaz after he went missing on foot in the city, as reported by MyNewsLA.com. And in October 2023, a Silver Alert for 68-year-old David Rodriguez, also missing on foot in Whittier, ended safely after community members and sheriff's deputies located him, Hey SoCal reported at the time.
A Countywide Pattern in August
Argo's case is the latest in a string of Silver Alerts issued across Los Angeles County this month. Hoodline reported that an 82-year-old man went missing on foot in Glassell Park just two days before Argo disappeared, and an active alert also remains out for a 78-year-old Inglewood man. The clustering reflects broader demographic realities: U.S. Census Bureau data shows adults 65 and older make up 14.0% of Whittier's roughly 87,306 residents, a share consistent with trends across Los Angeles County.
The stakes in wandering cases are significant. The Alzheimer's Association reports that 6 in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once during their illness, and 74% of individuals with cognitive impairment wander from home at least once. Search-and-rescue research from the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation found that 72% of missing dementia patients located alive are found within the first 24 hours, but survival odds drop to 51% by the second day and to just 20% between days three and five.
Free Tracking Program Available Countywide
Los Angeles County has invested in prevention tools for exactly this kind of emergency. In 2018, the county Board of Supervisors established L.A. Found, a countywide initiative offering free Project Lifesaver trackable radio-frequency wristbands and smartwatches so law enforcement can rapidly locate residents who wander due to dementia or autism, according to the Los Angeles County Aging & Disabilities Department. The program was created after a Manhattan Beach woman with Alzheimer's went missing in 2016. Alzheimer's Los Angeles estimates roughly 190,300 county residents currently live with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, underscoring why such tracking resources exist at scale.
It remains unknown whether Argo was enrolled in any tracking registry, and Whittier police have not released the specific direction he may have traveled from the Freiburg St. and College Ave. area. Authorities continue to ask that anyone who sees him call 9-1-1 right away.
