A 74-year-old Homestead woman with Alzheimer's disease has been missing since Monday evening, and police are asking the public for help finding her before time runs out. Marie Rose Guerrier was last seen walking away from the area of 174 NE 13th Circle at around 5 p.m., wearing a black sweater over a red and gold patterned shirt.
According to WSVN, Guerrier stands about 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs approximately 130 pounds, and has brown eyes. She was also wearing a black and brown wig, gold sandals and black pants when she disappeared. Authorities say she suffers from Alzheimer's, diabetes and high blood pressure, conditions that make her prolonged absence especially dangerous. The station reported the search as of Tuesday, and the exact timing was corroborated by Local 10 News, which confirmed she left the area on foot Monday around 5 p.m.
The address where she was last seen sits in the Parker Pointe subdivision, a single-family residential community in Homestead, according to Livabl. The sources do not indicate whether Guerrier's case qualifies for a state highway Silver Alert.
Why There's No Highway Alert
Florida statute § 937.0201 is cited in connection with the state's Silver Alert Plan, per Florida statute § 937.0201. Florida's alert criteria call for a preliminary investigation, entry of a missing-person report into FCIC, a statewide BOLO and notification of area media, per the department's guidelines.
A State Silver Alert, the kind that triggers the dynamic message signs seen along Florida highways, is reserved for cases where the missing person is traveling in a motor vehicle with a known license plate, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Reports do not identify which alert category, if any, was assigned to Guerrier's case.
A Race Against the Clock
The urgency of the search is underscored by national data on dementia-related disappearances. The Alzheimer's Association reports that six out of 10 people living with dementia or Alzheimer's will wander away from home at least once. The search remains focused on the area around Parker Pointe.
Time matters just as much as distance. Research published by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation found that missing individuals with Alzheimer's face a 46 percent mortality rate if they are not found within the first 24 hours. Florida's Silver Alert program itself was established by executive order in October 2008 and later codified into state statute in 2011, standardizing how local departments respond to cases like Guerrier's, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
How to Help
The Homestead Police Department can be reached at 305-247-1535 with any information on Guerrier's whereabouts. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call 471-TIPS. The Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse is also referenced in materials about missing-person cases. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward immediately.
