Sterling Lee Nichols, a 41-year-old Virginia Beach man, had been missing since the early morning of October 9, when he was last seen around 2 a.m. Virginia State Police issued a Critically Missing Adult Alert on his behalf.
According to WAVY.com, the Virginia State Police reported Wednesday afternoon that the alert was issued at the request of the Virginia Beach Police Department. Investigators have determined that Nichols's disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety, the outlet reported, underscoring the urgency behind the search.
What Nichols Looks Like and What He May Have Been Wearing
WAVY described Nichols as 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He may have been wearing black pants with rhinestones, a black shirt and red-and-white tennis shoes.
WAVY reported that Nichols was last seen at the Days Inn off Bonney Road in Virginia Beach.
How Virginia’s alert program works
Virginia State Police says its Critically Missing Adult Alert program covers adults 18 and older whose whereabouts are unknown and whose disappearance poses a law-enforcement-determined threat to their health and safety, among other circumstances the agency deems appropriate. The agency’s 2024 annual report counted 51 such alerts statewide, with 50 subjects located; those figures describe the alert program, not all missing-person reports. The report provides a 2024 snapshot, rather than a year-over-year comparison. Virginia State Police alert criteria and its 2024 annual report outline those details.
Sterling Nichols Located Safe
WAVY reported that Nichols was located safe on October 14.
