Louis Mackey, the 71-year-old Houston man who vanished from Downtown Houston in June, has been found safe, bringing a close to a Silver Alert that stretched on for more than two months. Mackey was last seen walking in the 700 block of N. San Jacinto Street on June 11, wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, before his family reported him missing to the Houston Police Department.
The update came Tuesday from TX Center 4 Missing, which posted that “Louis Mackey was located safe. The Silver Alert is cancelled. Thank you for sharing.” The Texas Center for the Missing had issued the Silver Alert on behalf of the Houston Police Department after Mackey went missing, and the nonprofit says it is dedicated to “bringing hope and healing to missing people and their families.”
Mackey’s last known location placed him near the University of Houston-Downtown and major light rail lines along Buffalo Bayou, a busy transit corridor in the city’s urban core, according to HTX Media. Anyone with information had been asked to contact the Houston Police Department at 832-394-1840, though with Mackey now located, that tip line is no longer needed for his case.
How Texas Decides When to Issue a Silver Alert
Getting a Silver Alert activated isn’t automatic. Under Texas Government Code § 411.382 and Department of Public Safety rules updated in 2020, issuing one requires documented medical proof of an impaired mental condition that poses a health threat, confirmation that other explanations for the disappearance have been ruled out, and submission by law enforcement within 72 hours, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Houston Regional Silver Alert System, established in October 2014, is administered by the Texas Center for the Missing and covers a 14-county area that includes Harris, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery, and Brazoria counties…