California Highway Patrol Issued Silver Alert for Senior

Authorities are searching for an 87-year-old woman who went missing in Redwood City this week.

Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Eldercare

Bold flat-color editorial illustration showing a solitary, winding highway curve set against a flat, abstract landscape.
The California Highway Patrol has issued a Silver Alert for 87-year-old Ena Adams, who went missing in Redwood City this week. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The California Highway Patrol activated a Silver Alert for Ena Adams, an 87-year-old woman last seen in Redwood City on Monday. The alert spans across five California counties to assist in locating the missing senior.

Why it matters

Silver Alerts are vital tools used by law enforcement to quickly mobilize public awareness and resources to locate missing elderly individuals who may be at risk.

Ena Adams is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. She was last seen driving a brown 2012 Honda CR-V with California license plate 9CQH989.

The players

Ena Adams

She is the 87-year-old woman who is the subject of the active Silver Alert in Northern California.

California Highway Patrol

This state law enforcement agency is responsible for managing traffic safety and coordinating statewide emergency alerts like the Silver Alert program.

The details

Adams was last observed wearing a brown and orange floral shirt paired with salmon-colored pants. The active search currently covers San Mateo, Alameda, Stanislaus, Merced, and San Joaquin counties.

Timeline

  1. Ena Adams was last seen on Monday, October 5, 2026.

Culture Shift

The use of the Silver Alert system reflects a broader societal movement to prioritize the safety of an aging population through integrated technological and law enforcement responses. This approach marks a departure from traditional missing persons reporting by leveraging immediate, multi-county data sharing.

Residents in the five affected counties should remain vigilant for the identified brown 2012 Honda CR-V with license plate 9CQH989. Anyone who sees the vehicle or the missing woman should contact local law enforcement immediately to provide assistance.

The takeaway

Public participation in Silver Alerts significantly increases the speed of recovery for missing seniors who may be disoriented or in danger. Readers can help by keeping a record of license plate numbers provided in official alerts when traveling through the impacted regions.

Further reading

For more information on programs supporting seniors, visit Eldercare.