A Silver Alert is active for a 67-year-old Alexandria man who disappeared from his Nelson Street home before dawn Sunday and is believed to be on foot somewhere in the area. Paul Wilkinson was discovered missing at around 4:45 a.m., and his family says he has a medical condition that may impair his judgment.
The alert was issued by Louisiana State Police, according to WBRZ, which describes Wilkinson as a white man standing about six feet one inch tall and weighing around 220 pounds, with hazel eyes and sandy blonde hair. Anyone with information is asked to call the Alexandria Police Department at 318-441-6557. Wilkinson was reported missing from his Nelson Street home.
How Louisiana Decides When to Sound a Silver Alert
Louisiana State Police can only activate a Silver Alert once a local agency confirms the missing person is either 60 or older or an adult with a developmental or cognitive disability, and that the disappearance poses a credible threat to their safety, per Louisiana State Police regulations. Requests from local departments are routed through the Louisiana State Police Fusion Center, which runs a 24-hour hotline to evaluate the criteria and coordinate the public release, the agency notes. Once approved, an alert can notify the public about a missing person.
Louisiana's Silver Alert criteria focus on age or disability and a credible threat to safety. A 2026 measure, Senate Bill 34, defines Bryan's Call as a Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisory involving a missing child, according to WWL-TV. The engrossed measure says state police shall issue a wireless emergency alert statewide or locally when a qualifying request is received within 72 hours, subject to the bill's criteria. The engrossed measure also includes conditional immunity language for acts or omissions concerning a Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisory, according to the Louisiana State Legislature.
Why Speed Matters for Wandering Seniors
The urgency behind these alerts is rooted in grim statistics. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that six in 10 people living with dementia or cognitive impairment will wander away from home at least once, often more than once, and the organization advises caregivers to contact emergency services if a search turns up nothing within 15 minutes. The dangers of wandering underscore why rapid public reporting matters so much for cases like Wilkinson's.
Alexandria has seen this kind of alert resolve safely before. Hoodline previously reported that a missing Alexandria man was found safe after state police and local officers issued a Silver Alert for him. It remains unknown whether authorities have activated a Bryan's Call wireless alert for Wilkinson or which specific areas search crews are focusing on near the Garden District corridor. Anyone with information on Wilkinson's whereabouts is urged to contact the Alexandria Police Department.
