Silver and Gold: missing person messages for aging and other populations

There are presently more than 45 alert types for missing and endangered persons. They are frequently given names such as AMBER, Silver, Gold, and other colors that represent some aspect of the individual/s after whom the alert is named. For instance, the AMBER alert is named after Amber Hagerman, a 9 year-old girl who was abducted and killed in Texas; it is also an acronym for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. A Silver alert is the alert designation for a senior citizen who is missing, suffers from a cognitive disorder such as dementia or Alzheimer's and is believed to be at risk of bodily harm or death. Similarly, there is a Gold alert, not to be confused with a Golden Alert, see below, which is designated for a senior citizen OR a suicidal person, OR a person with a disability is missing. How these different designations came to be is lodged in the history of individual states, where law makers propose and adopt alerting types for specific categories of people, or events. For example, legislation has been introduced in Alabama that will create an alert to notify beachgoers that sharks are present and active in coastal waters. No specific name has been introduced yet, but the proposed law is named after the 15-year old victim, Lulu (could there be a Lulu alert coming?).

Perhaps the intention of creating alerts named for specific people or threats is to call greater attention to them. They also set thresholds and standards for when an alert is to be issued; this is key for decision-makers who must make the call on a broadcast alert. However, the names of these alerts, in and of themselves, likely provide limited information to the public.

I'm fascinated by how missing person alert types are presented by different parts of the country. For instance, in four different states, four alerts were issued for similar population types over a 24 hour period. We have examples from Kansas, California, North Dakota, and Kentucky, each of which take slightly different approaches to their messaging. Let's take a look.

This first example is from California for a Silver Alert. Using ALL CAPS (for emphasis?), this alert is activated by the California Highway Patrol on behalf of another agency. CHP provides limited detail - that the person is missing and/or endangered, the name of the missing, when and where they were last seen, and a link for additional information.

A SILVER ALERT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED BY THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL ON BEHALF OF THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT. GORDON HAND IS MISSING AND ENDANGERED. GORDON HAND WAS LAST SEEN ON MARCH 29, 2025, IN SUNLAND. CLICK ON THE LINK FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. https://bit.ly/S131-2025

The second example is from Kansas. In this case, the alert is not "named" and the missing person has been gone for a full week. The sender (possibly the Lawrence Police) provides name missing person's name, a brief physical description, and clothing descriptions. A link is provided for additional information.

Missing: 74-yr-old Wanda Dyer has been missing one week. She is a black woman with short grey hair standing 5ft 2in. New pictures show her in a black coat with pink lining or a pink hoodie underneath, wearing multi-colored pants. See Lawrence Police social media for complete description and contact info. https://bit.ly/MissingWandaDyer

The third example is from North Dakota. Limited information is provided and here we start to see some different uses of the Silver Alert category. In North Dakota, a Silver Alert is for an "individual identified as a disabled adult, or vulnerable elderly adult, or a minor who has a developmental disability and has been reported to law enforcement authorities as missing." This definition differs a bit from the more commonly used definition of Silver Alert found in California.

This alert uses the headline in all caps, and provides a link, the location, the name of the missing person, the number 18, and a brief description of their shoes/pants. By looking up the ND Silver Alert definition, we learn that 18 is a referent to the person's age, suggesting that this young adult has a developmental disability. No additional information is provided to help the message receiver understand the conditions under which the person might be endangered.

SILVER ALERT ndresponse.gov/alert Lansford, ND Hayden Trottier 18 green shoes blue pants

The fourth example is from Kentucky. Here, the county uses the name Golden Alert, which is not the same as a Gold Alert, which results in the search and rescue of impaired person and/or individuals having organic brain syndrome.

In this message, the county states that is is issuing a named alert for a missing person. They provide race/gender/name and age, plus location last seen and clothing description. A link is provided for more information along with a phone number.

Pike County EMA is issuing a Golden Alert for a missing White Male Phillip Stiltner 81 who was last seen on Longfork Rd in Kimper KY wearing jeans and button up shirt. Click here for more info www.tinyurl.com/pikegoldenalert If seen or you have info about his where abouts please call 606 433 7711

Each of these messages offers something a bit different for the message receiver. If I was to choose the one I would WANT to receive on my phone, I'd probably select the one from Kentucky - it provides a lot of details along with a link for more information. But none of them clearly state the reason for their vulnerability beyond what I might read into the message by my own assumptions. Reporting details about a missing person's mental or physical condition can help message receivers understand the gravity of the situation. If the goal is to motivate people to help in the search, receiving information about why our help is needed can certainly benefit the cause.

My research team recently conducted experimental research on missing person alerts and we asked our participants to provide definitions for some of the named alerts that are issued across the US today. They didn't do well. A plain language alert, that provides details about the individual PLUS information about their specific vulnerability, goes much further for understanding to motivate action.

For more recommended contents for your alerts and warnings, be sure to download The Warning Lexicon - it's free and offers step-by-step instructions on how to write a better warning message.

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