A Silver Alert is active for Leroy Walker, a 78-year-old Knoxville man who vanished Friday and has a medical condition that officials say may impair his ability to return home safely without help. Walker was last seen near Chapman Highway and may be driving a maroon 2010 Acura MDX bearing Tennessee tag BSH1972, according to the alert. He resides in Sevier County and is unfamiliar with the Knoxville area, factors that heighten concern for his safety.
The Silver Alert was issued September 4 on behalf of the Knoxville Police Department, according to a Knoxville Police Department - TN Facebook post. Walker is described as a white male standing 6 feet tall and weighing 165 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a red plaid shirt and dark-colored jeans, and his case has been logged with NCIC number M119038933. According to WBIR, Walker has dementia, and his unfamiliarity with Knoxville makes it unlikely he could find his way home without assistance.
Last Seen at a South Knoxville Walmart
Walker was specifically last seen at the Walmart located at 7420 Chapman Highway in Knoxville, per WBIR's reporting. His vehicle has a dent on the driver's side door and stickers on the back left side window, distinguishing marks investigators hope will help someone spot the maroon MDX. The station's report notes that Chapman Highway is a major corridor running from Knoxville toward Sevier County and the Great Smoky Mountains, making the direction Walker may have traveled a key variable for search efforts.
The photograph released alongside the Silver Alert, showing Walker in the red plaid shirt, was taken the same day he went missing, according to the Knoxville Police Department's Facebook post. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Knoxville Police Department at 865-215-7000 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
How Tennessee's Silver Alert System Works
Under Tennessee Code § 38-6-121, local law enforcement agencies that receive a missing vulnerable adult report must immediately open an investigation, notify the TBI within four hours, and submit the case to the National Crime Information Center database within that same window. Tennessee first enacted Silver Alert legislation in August 2009, but centralized statewide management by the TBI was delayed for years by budget constraints until expanded legislation took effect on July 1, 2021, according to Elder Law of East Tennessee.
Since that 2021 expansion, the state's Silver Alert program has located and safely returned home more than 500 missing individuals, achieving an overall resolution rate exceeding 90 percent, the TBI and Alzheimer's Tennessee announced in February. TBI Special Agent Alisha Rutherford reported in January that the state had issued 538 Silver Alerts between July 1, 2021, and early 2026, with 40 missing individuals found deceased and 84 recovered outside Tennessee, according to WBIR's coverage of the milestone.
Why Wandering Is So Common — and So Risky
About 60 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or dementia will wander at least once during the course of their illness, Alzheimer's Tennessee CEO Janice Wade-Whitehead has said. That statistic underscores why cases like Walker's demand rapid public attention, since disoriented individuals with dementia can travel unpredictably and sometimes far from home before being found.
In January 2025, the TBI launched the TBI Find mobile app and SafeSeniorTN.com website, letting residents receive regional Silver Alert notifications and build digital CareKits stored on personal devices for law enforcement use in emergencies. Past East Tennessee cases show how far missing seniors can travel: an 84-year-old Knox County man with a medical condition was found safe in Texas in August 2025 after a Silver Alert. Anyone who spots Walker or his vehicle is urged to call 911 or reach out to authorities immediately.
