An 84-year-old man last seen walking near Hunters Lane in Madison is the subject of a new statewide Silver Alert, with authorities warning he may not be able to make his way home safely without help. Austin Smith Jr. stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, has gray hair and brown eyes, and was reportedly wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a hat.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued the alert after Smith was reported missing from the Nashville area, according to WSMV, which first reported the case. Per the TBI, Smith has a medical condition that may impair his ability to return home safely without assistance, and investigators believe he is on foot. The station's report, written by Danica Sauter, states Smith was last seen near Hunters Lane in Madison.
A social media post from Tennessee Missing and Unsolved on Sunday added further detail, stating Smith was last seen at 1527 Hunters Lane and describing his clothing as overalls worn over a black shirt — a detail slightly more specific than the black shirt and pants described in the initial police release. The stretch of Hunters Lane where he disappeared sits in northern Davidson County near Hunters Lane High School, connecting residential blocks to busy roadways including Old Hickory Boulevard and Dickerson Pike, according to background compiled from Wikipedia.
Why Authorities Move Fast on These Cases
Tennessee law requires local police to launch an immediate investigation once a vulnerable adult is reported missing, entering the person into the National Crime Information Center database and notifying the TBI within four hours, a mandate that exists specifically to keep these searches from stalling in their earliest, most critical hours. The Silver Alert framework itself, under Tennessee Code § 38-6-121, applies to missing residents 60 or older, or to adults 18 to 59 with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities believed to be in danger because of their age or health.
The urgency behind that legal framework is rooted in medical reality. Alzheimer's Tennessee statistics reported by WBIR in January found that roughly 60 percent of people living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia will wander at least once during their illness. The dossier does not state whether Smith has been diagnosed with dementia — only that the TBI has cited an unspecified medical condition affecting his ability to return home safely.
Anyone With Information Is Asked to Call
The TBI is asking anyone who has seen Smith to contact authorities, and the public can reach the bureau at 1-800-TBI-FIND. The Metro Nashville Police Department can also be reached directly at 615-862-8600.
Families searching for missing loved ones now have another tool at their disposal: the TBI's “Find” mobile app, launched in January 2025, which includes a digital “TN CareKit” letting relatives store physical descriptions, medical profiles, and recent photos on their phones to email police the moment an emergency unfolds. The dossier does not indicate whether Smith's family used the app or whether tips generated through it or local camera systems have produced active leads in his case.
A System With a Strong Track Record — and Its Limits
Tennessee's Silver Alert program has a largely successful history. Per WBIR, TBI data shows that between June 2021 and January 2026, the state issued 538 Silver Alerts, with 84 people found outside Tennessee and 40 found deceased. By February, the TBI and Alzheimer's Tennessee reported the system had helped bring home more than 500 missing individuals since its 2021 expansion, an overall success rate exceeding 90 percent, according to a statement posted to the TBI's Facebook page.
Disoriented seniors can also travel far faster and farther than expected. A December Silver Alert search for an 88-year-old man missing from the same Madison area ended when he was found safe more than 100 miles away in Kuttawa, Kentucky. It remains unknown which direction Smith may have traveled from Hunters Lane, or whether he has family or other connections outside Davidson County.
