A Silver Alert for Houston woman Gail Pitre has been cancelled after she was found safe, according to announcements from the Texas Center for the Missing and law enforcement. Pitre had been the subject of a search involving local authorities and volunteers after she went missing earlier in the week.
The Texas Center for the Missing shared the update: “Ms. Pitre was located. The Silver Alert has been cancelled. Thank you for sharing,”
the Houston-based nonprofit posted Thursday. The organization, which issued the alert on behalf of the Houston Police Department, says its mission is to bring hope and healing to missing people and their families.
Officials have not released exactly where or when Pitre was found. Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies confirmed that she was safe, according to FOX 26 Houston. The station's account of her age and last-seen details differs from the information in the original alert.
How Texas Silver Alerts Work
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the statewide Silver Alert program requires that a missing person be at least 65 or have an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, along with additional requirements involving mental impairment, safety risk, an investigation and information that could help the public locate the person. The law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the case must determine whether the investigative information meets those criteria before requesting activation, according to the department’s alert-activation guidance. For broader context, the Texas Department of State Health Services reports that approximately 460,000 Texans age 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020.
Conflicting Details Emerged During the Search
The original Silver Alert listed Pitre as 76 and said she was last seen on foot Sept. 15 in the 5900 block of Longmeadow Street in Houston. It described her as wearing a brown hat, a floral-print dress, a brown jacket and brown shoes. FOX 26 Houston reported that Pitre was 72 and had last been seen around 5 a.m. Tuesday in the 6100 block of W. Mount Houston Road, wearing a black, white and peach striped sweater, a black nightgown and a cap. No official statement has reconciled the differences in the accounts.
woodlandsonline.com separately reported that Pitre has dementia and needs her medication. The report also said investigators believed she may have boarded a Houston Metro bus near Antoine and W. Mount Houston Road.
How the Alert Reached the Public
Anyone with information related to the case can still contact the Houston Police Department at 832-394-1840. No further details about Pitre's recovery, including her condition, have been released.
