An 88-year-old Phoenix woman who vanished near 31st Avenue and Elliot Road early Saturday morning has been found safe and reunited with her family, according to police. Maria Martinez De Aranda was last seen around 7 a.m. before a statewide SAFE Alert went out seeking help locating her.
The Phoenix Police Department said Martinez De Aranda was found in good health and reunited with her family, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM, which first reported the cancellation of the alert on Saturday. The outlet had earlier reported that Martinez De Aranda was last seen in Phoenix near 31st Avenue and Elliot Road around 7 a.m., prompting authorities to issue the SAFE Alert.
What She Was Wearing, and Why the Alert Went Out
Martinez De Aranda is described as 5-foot-9 and 109 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, per the same KTAR report. When last seen, she was wearing a black bandana or scarf on her head and gray leggings, and she was carrying a red purse and a small black roller suitcase, the station noted. The Arizona Department of Public Safety said she has a medical condition that may cause her to become easily confused, a detail that helped shape the urgency behind the search.
Before the alert was canceled, the station's report had asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact the Phoenix Police Department or call 911. That request became moot once she was located and reunited with her family.
How Arizona's SAFE Alert System Works
Martinez De Aranda's case played out under Arizona's SAFE Alert program, which replaced the state's Silver Alert system. SAFE Alerts cover missing persons who are 65 and older, as well as those with dementia or developmental or cognitive disabilities, the same KTAR report notes. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a SAFE Alert may apply when a person is 65 or older or has been diagnosed with a developmental disability, cognitive disability, Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
The program launched statewide on September 26, 2025, according to the agency's own announcement that it would replace the previous Silver Alert system. As Axios Phoenix reported, the expanded SAFE Alert — short for Seek And Find Alert — distributes information through Arizona's Emergency Alert System and on Arizona Department of Transportation billboards. Axios also noted that the prior Silver Alert system had a 98% success rate, with most missing individuals located within 18 hours, citing figures reported by The Arizona Republic.
Not an Isolated Case in the Valley
Martinez De Aranda's recovery follows a string of similar SAFE Alert cancellations across the Phoenix area in recent weeks. KTAR reported that a SAFE Alert for 60-year-old Sakina Azimi was canceled after she was found safely; she had left a residence near 103rd Avenue and Camelback Road around 8:15 a.m. to take a bus to a doctor's appointment. In another case, authorities canceled a SAFE Alert for 72-year-old Yolanda Garcia, who had last been seen near Avondale Boulevard and Buckeye Road in Avondale.
