A 74-year-old West Sacramento woman has been missing for 11 days, last seen driving a white 2018 Toyota Prius near Harbor Pointe Place and Stillwater Road around 9 a.m. on Oct. 8. The California Highway Patrol issued a Silver Alert for Diana Callahan early Sunday, after being notified Saturday, on behalf of the West Sacramento Police Department.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Callahan is described as 5-foot-7 and 100 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. She may be wearing a white and blue long-sleeve shirt and a large hat, per the CHP alert, and she is believed to be driving the white Prius bearing California license plate 8EBJ150. The gap between her disappearance and the alert's issuance has not been explained in available reporting.
The Silver Alert is in effect across Sacramento, Yuba, Sutter and Placer counties, casting a wide net around the Sacramento Valley region. Anyone who spots Callahan or her vehicle is asked to call 911.
How California's Silver Alert System Works
California's Silver Alert program allows local police departments to request public notifications within the geographic area requested by the investigating agency when an older adult, cognitively impaired person or person with a developmental disability goes missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances and is believed to be in peril. The authority comes from California Government Code § 8594.10, enacted through Senate Bill 1047 in 2012. The CHP activates an alert only when it concurs that the statutory requirements are met.
Every Silver Alert request in the state is evaluated and activated through the CHP's Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center, a 24-hour hub at CHP headquarters in Sacramento that also manages AMBER, Blue, and other specialized alert systems statewide, according to the California government. The CHP Silver Alert program is used specifically when an elderly person aged 65 or older has been reported missing and is determined to be at risk because of age, health or other conditions, per the Sacramento Bee's reporting.
Under California Assembly Bill 643, enacted in 2015, the CHP can display details of a missing person's vehicle on overhead freeway changeable message signs along major routes, as detailed by LegInfo CA. Callahan was last seen near Harbor Pointe Place and Stillwater Road.
The reason for the delay between Callahan's last sighting on Oct. 8 and the CHP's notification on Oct. 17 is unclear.
How to Help
West Sacramento police are asking anyone who sees Callahan or her white Prius to call 911 immediately. The Silver Alert covers Sacramento, Yuba, Sutter and Placer counties.
