Michigan lawmakers push for statewide 'Silver Alert' system

Julia Cardi, The Detroit News on Mar 8, 2026

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Advocacy groups that want to see the equivalent of an Amber Alert system created for missing seniors and vulnerable adults are urging Michigan lawmakers to pass legislation that would pave the way for such alerts, though bills appear to have stalled in Lansing.

And the sponsor of one such bill said the longer it lingers without passing, the more people will go missing who could be saved by the public alerts.

Identical House and Senate bills were introduced in 2025 that would create a "Silver Alert" system for sending out mobile notifications to the public about missing seniors and vulnerable adults. Dozens of other states, including Ohio, Missouri, and Washington, D.C., have Silver Alerts.

"These systems have been wildly successful, because oftentimes when someone is missing, it is a member of the public who sees them," said state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak who introduced Senate Bill 456.

If approved, the bills would require local law enforcement agencies to notify the Michigan State Police about missing seniors and vulnerable adults. MSP is then tasked with sending out a statewide alert, much like Amber Alerts for missing children.

Senate Bill 456 passed the chamber in October last year after its introduction in June. The identical bill introduced last April by Republican state Rep. Gina Johnsen of Portland, House Bill 4362, passed the House in September. Both proposals have sat in the other's chamber since late last year, and it's not clear whose bill will ultimately land on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk.

Matt Phelan, the Alzheimer Association's advocacy manager for Michigan, said the first 24 hours after someone goes missing are critical. People with dementia can easily get lost and confused, he said, and added if they go missing and are not dressed appropriately for the weather, or are driving but get lost during a dementia-related episode, that adds to the danger they're in.

"When they have dementia, it is a safety risk the minute they're wandering," he said.

Currently, law enforcement agencies disseminate alerts about missing adults to other agencies and media outlets, but there hasn't been a statewide mobile alert system.

"Right now, police departments are using kind of patchwork systems. It's not as effective as the Amber Alert system," said McMorrow, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year.

Michigan law defines missing seniors as people aged 60 or older who have been reported missing and have a condition that could put them in danger, or are deemed incapable of getting home without help. Vulnerable adults are defined as those who need supervision or cannot live independently because of disabilities or other conditions.

One family who says Michigan needs a Silver Alert system is that of David Moffett, an Emmet County man who went missing more than two years ago. Moffett, who would be in his early 70s, had Alzheimer's and was last seen walking his dog in September 2023. He has never been found.

A Facebook group dedicated to finding Moffett posted a photo last week of a calendar with the box where Feb. 29 would be, noting the date marks two years and five months since Moffett went missing.

"Also missing is Michigan being closer to a much-needed Silver Alert system," wrote Moffett's sister, Joanne, in the post. "There are two identical bills, HB4362 and SB456, sitting in each other's legislative chamber with NO movement forward. I am told 'it is complicated.'"

State representatives have also introduced legislation to expand Michigan's Amber Alert system, which would allow the state police to sound the alarm if a missing child has special needs or is believed to be in danger, even if there isn't evidence the child has been kidnapped. Currently, the state disseminates Amber Alerts for children believed to have been abducted.

Nicole Hamp, the Autism Alliance of Michigan's chief health and program officer, said people with autism are also at risk for wandering and getting lost. She said challenges with social communication and difficulty with reasoning and learning that people with autism may face can make it difficult for them to express that they need help or get themselves home and meet other needs.

"If you have social communication challenges or any kind of impairment with your ability to reason or filter important environmental stimuli, then finding your way back is that much harder," Hamp said.

The bill to expand the Amber Alert system passed the House last September but has not moved through the Senate.

The push to pass the bill comes as some Michigan lawmakers have also proposed to create a "Green Alert" system for missing veterans. State lawmakers, including McMorrow, plan to hold a press conference Monday in Dearborn Heights on the proposed Silver Alert legislation.

"I don't care who passes it," said McMorrow of the two separate bills introduced by herself and Johnsen. "I just want to make sure the legislation gets passed and signed into law."

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