A 99-year-old St. Petersburg man has gone missing after leaving his home to visit his daughter, and police say he may be lost or confused. Karl Josephs was last seen around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at his residence on Alamanda Way South, driving a red 2006 Toyota Corolla, according to authorities.
St. Petersburg Police shared the alert on social media Tuesday evening, asking anyone who spots Josephs to call the department, referencing the hashtag #stpetepd. The post from St. Pete Police did not indicate whether Josephs ever reached his daughter's home or where along the route he may have gone missing. The department's account describes its mission as keeping St. Petersburg safe since 1903.
Residents who see Josephs or his vehicle are urged to contact police rather than approach him directly. The department's non-emergency line, (727) 893-7780, is available for tips and non-urgent missing person reports, per the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Have you seen 99- y/o Karl Josephs?
— St. Pete Police (@StPetePD) September 1, 2026
He was last seen at his home on Alamanda Way S. at 12:30 p.m. He left to drive to his daughter’s home and is missing. May be lost or confused. He is driving a Red Toyota Corolla 2006. If you see him, call #stpetepd pic.twitter.com/N8DfPwYQ6A
Why Confused Senior Drivers Can Vanish Fast
Cases like this one carry particular urgency because of how quickly disoriented elderly drivers can travel. Research published through the National Institutes of Health has found that missing seniors experiencing sudden disorientation behind the wheel often drive significant distances past their intended destination, which is why rapid, wide-reaching public alerts are considered critical to safe recovery, according to a study hosted on PubMed Central.
That risk is especially relevant in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area. Roughly 21% of the city's population is 65 or older, based on U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, and Pinellas County as a whole maintains one of the highest concentrations of older residents in Florida, with more than 21% of its population aged 65 and over, according to Census Reporter data. That demographic reality means senior safety alerts like the one for Josephs are a recurring concern for local law enforcement.
How Florida's Alert System Works
Florida law lays out specific criteria for escalating a case like this into a formal statewide Silver Alert. Under Florida Department of Law Enforcement standards, a missing individual must be at least 60 years old, or between 18 and 59 without the capacity to consent, have verified cognitive impairment, and be traveling in a vehicle with identifiable details such as a description or license plate. It remains unclear whether Josephs' case has been elevated to that formal status.
Before a state-level alert can be requested, Florida guidelines require local agencies to conduct an initial investigation, enter the missing adult into the Florida Crime Information Center database, and issue a statewide Be-On-The-Lookout advisory. If a Silver Alert is eventually activated, the Florida Department of Transportation can deploy dynamic highway message signs displaying vehicle descriptions and plate numbers to commuters across major routes. It is separately worth noting that Florida's Purple Alert, created under state law, applies to adults with non-dementia cognitive, developmental, or intellectual disabilities, a distinct category from Silver Alerts, which are reserved for those with Alzheimer's disease or dementia-related conditions.
A Pattern of Missing-Senior Cases in Pinellas County
Josephs' disappearance follows a string of similar cases across Pinellas County in recent months. Hoodline previously reported on Largo's search for an elderly resident, and on the safe recovery of an 86-year-old woman found in the county earlier this year. St. Petersburg Police also confirmed the safe location of a different missing resident, Teniyah Vinson, this past February.
For now, police have not released additional details about where Josephs may have traveled after leaving his Alamanda Way South home, and it is not known whether he ever arrived at his daughter's residence. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse, which coordinates emergency alerts statewide around the clock, can also be reached through its tip line at 1-888-FL-MISSING for those with information relevant to active cases across the state.
