Missing TN adults: 10 Silver Alerts still active across Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Many Tennesseans are still missing some of their eldest family members who have seemingly disappeared over the last few months, or in some cases, years.

As of Friday, Aug. 16, there were still 10 active Silver Alerts across the state. A Silver Alert is issued by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) when someone 60 or older is missing and believed to be in danger due to age, health, mental health conditions or a physical disability.

Alerts are also sometimes issued for people of any age with dementia and those 18 and older with an intellectual, developmental or physical disability. By law , the TBI is required to send out the alert within 12 hours of receiving notification of the missing person.

According to state lawmakers, “the first few hours are critical” in finding someone who has wandered “due to dementia, physical impairment or disability.” Those who are still missing range in age from 52 to 85 years old, with all suffering from a medical condition that could impair their ability to return home on their own.

The most recent alert was issued on Tuesday, Aug. 13 after 82-year-old Caulyne Cross went missing from Giles County. The TBI said Cross was last seen wearing red pants and a pink shirt, but her direction of travel was unknown.

Several crews worked through the night to try to find Cross, covering more than 1,000 acres on foot and flying several types of aircraft over a very large section of the county. On Wednesday, Aug. 14, officials said an “impressive army of neighbors” had also been out searching. However, their efforts have so far been unsuccessful.

The next most recent case dates back to nearly two months ago when 69-year-old Roxanne Gallagher was reported missing from Cumberland County. Four of the Silver Alerts that are still active stem from 2023 or later, with the oldest active alert issued in 2021.

The TBI issued a Silver Alert for Lucy Buchanan after the 85-year-old was last seen leaving her Buena Vista Pike apartment in Nashville on Nov. 24, 2021. She spoke to her family on the phone a few days later on Nov. 29, 2021, but by that afternoon her phone was either dead or turned off.

When a family member went by her apartment to drop off groceries, Buchanan wasn’t there. Residents at her apartment complex said she may have gotten into a gray van with a female driver that day. However, she hasn’t been seen since.

It’s thought that Buchanan may have been in the early stages of dementia at the time of her disappearance.

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Whether it’s been years or months, the TBI and several local law enforcement agencies are continuing to search for these adults who have been reported missing across the state. Below are their missing posters and any known information about the circumstances of their disappearances.

Anyone who has information on any of these cases is asked to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or their local law enforcement agency.

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