A Silver Alert system is coming to Michigan to notify the public when seniors and vulnerable adults go missing.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 456 into law Thursday, July 23, to require the Michigan State Police to maintain the new system to send out alerts with relevant information about those missing across cell phones and other wireless devices. The legislation received wide bipartisan support in the Michigan Legislature.
Michigan joins most other states that already have a public notification system in place, according to the office of state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, who introduced the legislation.
In Michigan, law enforcement agencies will now notify MSP when a senior (defined as someone over 60 years old and believed to
be unable to return home without assistance) or vulnerable adult goes missing, so an alert can be sent out.
Vulnerable adults include those over 18 years old requiring supervision or who lack the ability to live independently due to a disability or mental illness, according to a summary of the legislation. It also includes those exposed to possible abuse or neglect because a mental or physical condition makes it difficult to protect themselves.
Denneen Smith, Friendship Centers of Emmet County's executive director, advocated for the legislation after a client at the local Council on Aging with dementia, named David Moffett, went missing in 2023. Smith, in a previous interview with the Detroit Free Press, said that some people saw Moffett walking his dog but didn't know he was considered missing at the time. An alert could have prompted them to intervene, she said. He is still missing, according to a Facebook page to organize search efforts.
The legislation passed the Michigan Senate in late 2025, but it stalled in the Michigan House of Representatives until it passed in July as part of a slew of policy bills that saw movement during state budget negotiations.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New ‘Silver Alert’ system to aid search for missing seniors
