A reportedly at-risk Santa Monica man was located on Tuesday afternoon after being declared missing for 24 hours.
A push alert sent to all cell phones in Santa Monica at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday announced a California Highway Patrol (CHP) Silver Alert for a 61-year-old man who had last been seen at 21st Street and Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica the previous afternoon. By the afternoon on Tuesday, the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) reported the missing man, identified as Patrick Barris, had been located.
The alert, which sounded loud alarms on phones throughout the city, was triggered by the CHP Silver Alert program on behalf of the SMPD. “A Silver Alert is activated when an elderly, developmentally, or cognitively-impaired person has gone missing and is determined to be at-risk. Silver Alerts provide immediate information to the public to aid in the swift recovery of at-risk persons meeting the criteria,” according to the CHP website.
The Silver Alert bulletin was posted online at 1:18 a.m. Tuesday, although the Silver Alert push notification did not sound until mid-morning.
The missing man, identified as Barris, was reportedly last seen on foot at 2:10 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 29, wearing a dark shirt, khaki vest and khaki pants.
The SMPD later updated the post with a security camera image showing Barris departing Berkley East Healthcare Center on Monday carrying what appeared to be a shopping bag. At the time, he was wearing a black or navy blue jacket, with black or navy blue pants and dark sneakers.
“Patrick is in need of medication and may appear to be confused and/or disoriented,” the public information bulletin described.
The CHP and SMDP social media posts elicited a number of responses from Twitter users, with several reporting they believed they had seen Barris or someone who met his description in the hours after the Silver Alert was issued; however, it was not clear whether any of these sightings were verified.
At 1:57 p.m., SMPD offered an update on Twitter: “MR BARRIS HAS BEEN FOUND AND IS SAFE WITH FAMILY!!”
emily@smdp.com
