A Silver Alert for a 66-year-old San Antonio man has been resolved after Texas authorities confirmed he was found safe, closing out a search that began when he vanished from the city's West Side earlier this week. Albert Arteaga had been missing since around 1 p.m. Wednesday, last seen in the 5300 block of Calistoga Street.
The Texas Department of Public Safety updated the status of Arteaga's Silver Alert to FOUND on Friday, according to The Katy News, which reported that his disappearance had triggered a statewide notification effort. The alert had described Arteaga as 5 feet 7 inches tall with brown eyes, and KSAT reported white hair. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeve shirt, jeans, glasses, and a colored bucket hat, and was carrying a black backpack, per the outlet's report.
A companion description listed Arteaga's weight at approximately 115 pounds and repeated the clothing details, including the bucket hat and glasses noted in the original bulletin.
How Texas Silver Alerts Actually Work
Texas Silver Alerts aren't issued automatically just because an older adult goes missing. Under Texas Government Code § 411.382, the state can only activate one for residents 65 or older or those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and local police must first obtain written documentation of an impaired mental condition signed by a medical professional, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Requests must be submitted within 72 hours of a disappearance.
That tight window exists for a reason. Nearly 6 in 10 people living with dementia will wander from home at least once, and searching within the first 24 hours is considered critical to preventing serious injury or death, according to the Alzheimer's Association. A cross-sectional academic study of Texas Silver Alerts issued between 2017 and 2022, published on PMC, described community-aided immediate searches as often successful while noting that outcome data, such as whether people were found alive or deceased, were limited.
A Recent Silver Alert in San Antonio
San Antonio's recent Silver Alert history includes a regional alert for 77-year-old Maria Medellin that resolved the same day it was issued after she was found near Loop 1604 East, as Hoodline previously reported.
Officials stress that residents do not need to wait 24 hours before filing a report if someone goes missing, according to the City of San Antonio. Anyone with information in a similar case can also call 911 to report a sighting.
A Statewide Problem
Texas created its Silver Alert program in 2007 specifically to address the wandering risks faced by aging residents, per the PMC study.
For now, Arteaga's family and San Antonio's West Side community can count his case among the safe outcomes.
