Newton police are asking the public for help finding a 72-year-old woman who never came home from an afternoon walk. Deborah Chang was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Monday on Theodore Road, according to police, after telling her son she was stepping out to walk near her home.
As reported by NBC Boston, Chang is from Taiwan and, according to investigators, is not familiar with the area. She is described by police as 5-foot-4 and about 100 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a pink blouse and blue jeans.
Theodore Road sits in the 02459 ZIP code of Newton Centre, a residential stretch known for its single-family homes, tree-lined streets, and proximity to regional transit lines, according to Redfin property records. Newton itself is a city of approximately 90,000 residents spread across 13 distinct historic villages — a layout that can make orientation difficult for someone unfamiliar with the surroundings.
Why Police Moved Fast on the Search
Massachusetts law mandates treating adults with dementia as missing regardless of how long they have been missing, according to Hebrew SeniorLife. That urgency reflects the statistical reality that roughly 94 percent of missing wanderers searched on foot are found within 1.5 miles of where they were last seen, according to the Alzheimer's Association, which also notes that six out of 10 people living with dementia will wander from home at least once. The research does not specify whether Chang has any memory impairment.
Early search efforts in cases like this may focus on the area near the last known location. Roughly 24.3 percent of Newton's population was born outside the United States as of 2024 Census Bureau estimates, underscoring that Chang's unfamiliarity with the area is not an unusual circumstance for the city.
Statewide Alert System Could Play a Role
Statewide Alert System Could Play a Role Silver Alert systems generally are used to issue public warnings in some missing-person cases. Whether a Silver Alert is appropriate depends on the circumstances of a missing-person case. It remains unclear whether a formal statewide Silver Alert has been issued in Chang's case.
Regional broadcaster Boston 25 News also confirmed the active search Monday afternoon, amplifying the police request for public help alongside Chang's physical description and last known attire, according to Boston 25 News. The Newton Police Department is asking anyone with information to call its 24-hour non-emergency line at 617-796-2123.
This is not the first time Newton police have turned to the public for help locating a missing resident. In May 2025, the department issued an urgent alert for a missing teen. NBC Boston reported early Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that Newton police had found Chang safe.
