Philadelphia police are asking for the public's help finding William Samuel Simpson, an 89-year-old man last seen driving away from the 1200 block of Stanwood Street on Tuesday morning. Simpson was last spotted around 10:45 a.m. that day.
Last Seen in a Gray Minivan
According to Newport Dispatch, Simpson is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 130 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a light t-shirt, tan cargo pants, and tan slippers when he was last seen. Simpson drives a gray 2019 Dodge Caravan bearing Pennsylvania license plate MMY4413, a detail police consider central to locating him.
The case has been formally logged by the Philadelphia Police Department, which published the official missing person bulletin and assigned the case to the 7th Police District. Anyone with information can contact the Northeast Detective Division at 215-686-3153 or call 911.
Simpson's Vehicle
Simpson was last seen driving a gray 2019 Dodge Caravan.
Cases involving missing seniors at risk of harm can also trigger a Missing Endangered Person Advisory, Pennsylvania's equivalent of a Silver Alert. The advisory alerts local media, law enforcement statewide, and electronic highway message signs operated by PennDOT, according to Pennsylvania State Police guidelines. State emergency records show Pennsylvania has issued multiple such advisories in 2026 for missing seniors between ages 74 and 86 across counties including Philadelphia and Allegheny, according to the Governor of Pennsylvania's Executive Office.
Why Speed Matters in Wandering Cases
Medical experts stress that time is not a luxury in cases like this. The Alzheimer's Association reports that 6 in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once, often repeatedly, whether on foot or by vehicle. Research highlighted by the Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials found that missing individuals with cognitive decline face a 50% risk of serious injury or death if they are not located within the first 24 hours of wandering.
There is no dossier information confirming whether Simpson has a cognitive impairment, but Pennsylvania law does not allow police to impose a mandatory waiting period before beginning a missing person investigation, according to reporting by WVIA. Officers begin search efforts immediately upon receiving a report, a point investigators and family members alike often need to clarify to a public that assumes otherwise.
A Recent Philadelphia Missing-Person Case
Hoodline previously reported on the Tacony teen missing case involving Angelica Jimenez-Medina, which was linked to Northeast Detectives and the 15th District.
For now, police are asking anyone with information about Simpson's whereabouts to contact the Northeast Detective Division or call 911.
