A Silver Alert is out for Wesley Worthen, a 71-year-old Norman man who vanished late Tuesday night and may be suffering from undiagnosed dementia. He was last seen around 10 p.m. wearing a gray tank top, gray workout pants, and white shoes decorated with smiley faces.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued the alert on behalf of the Norman Police Department, according to News 9. Worthen stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 116 pounds, and has gray hair and brown eyes. Police have asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.
A Narrow Window to Act
The timing of Worthen's disappearance is especially troubling given what researchers know about missing dementia cases. A May 2026 study led by University College London researchers, published in Age and Ageing, found that nearly 10 percent of missing dementia incidents end in severe injury or death, with nighttime disappearances and absences stretching past 24 hours sharply raising the danger.
Medical research indexed by the National Institutes of Health goes further, indicating that up to half of lost people with dementia who are not found within 24 hours suffer serious injury or death. Wandering itself is common among people with cognitive decline; the Alzheimer's Association notes that roughly six in 10 people living with dementia or Alzheimer's disease will wander from a safe environment at least once, often more than once.
How Oklahoma's Alert System Works
Oklahoma's Silver Alert framework dates back to 2009, when the state established it under Title 63 of its statutes. The law, detailed by Justia Law, requires local agencies like Norman police to verify cognitive impairment and safety risk before requesting that the Department of Public Safety coordinate a statewide broadcast. Once triggered, Silver Alert notifications reach law enforcement and media.
Norman sits in Cleveland County, where seniors aged 65 and older made up roughly 15.9 percent of the population in 2024, per data cited by USAFacts. Norman is Oklahoma's third-most populous city, with more than 130,000 residents.
Anyone with information about Worthen's whereabouts is urged to contact police.
