An 81-year-old woman believed to be on foot has gone missing in Los Angeles, prompting the California Highway Patrol to activate a Silver Alert on her behalf Wednesday. Patricia Powell was last seen at 4:12 p.m. wearing a black shirt, black leggings and beige shoes, according to authorities. She is described as 5-foot-9-inches tall, weighing 163 pounds, with a bald head and brown eyes.
The alert was activated by the California Highway Patrol acting on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department, as reported by MyNewsLA.com. The CHP did not specify exactly where in Los Angeles Powell was last seen. Authorities are urging anyone with information about her whereabouts to call 911.
How Silver Alerts Move From Local Report to Statewide Notice
California's Silver Alert framework exists under Government Code Section 8594.10, created by Senate Bill 1047 in 2012, which allows an alert to be activated for a missing person who is 65 or older, or cognitively impaired, once local search resources have been exhausted and authorities determine the person is in peril, according to the California Highway Patrol. Every Silver Alert request in the state is evaluated and issued centrally through the CHP's 24-hour Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center, known as ENTAC, at CHP headquarters in Sacramento. In Powell's case, CHP activated the alert on behalf of LAPD.
Powell is believed to be on foot rather than traveling in a vehicle. The CHP activates a Silver Alert when an elderly or developmentally or cognitively impaired person goes missing and is determined to be at risk, using the alerts to help at-risk missing people be recovered more quickly.
A Heavy Caseload for LAPD Investigators
The case adds to a heavy workload for LAPD's Adult Missing Persons Unit, which handles roughly 3,200 missing adult reports annually, averaging 250 to 300 cases each month, according to LAPD Online. LAPD says about 70 percent of reported missing persons are found or return within 48 to 72 hours, underscoring why the initial hours after a report like Powell's matter so much.
Federal law prohibits a waiting period for missing-person reports, and those reports take investigative precedence over property crimes, according to LAPD.
Part of a Broader Pattern Across LA County
Just Tuesday, Hoodline reported on a Silver Alert for Russell Kane in Gardena.
Wandering is a common and dangerous behavior among people with dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation says up to 60 percent of patients with Alzheimer's disease will wander, citing the Alzheimer's Association. California's Silver Alert criteria include missing people who are 65 or older or cognitively impaired.
No further details on Powell's medical history or the specific location where she was last seen have been released. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to call 911.
