SAFE Alert canceled after missing 81-year-old Phoenix man found safe

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Public Safety canceled a SAFE Alert on Thursday after a missing 81-year-old Phoenix man was found safe.

DPS originally issued the SAFE Alert for Douglas Luther Branson around 5 p.m., but it was canceled around five hours later.

When the alert was issued, Branson was last seen on Thursday walking in the area of 31st Street and Indian School Road around 8 a.m.

However, Branson was found in a good health, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

DPS said Branson has a medical condition that can cause him to become easily lost or confused.

SAFE Alerts have replaced Silver Alerts in Arizona as a way to spread the word about missing persons who are 65 and older or who suffer from dementia or developmental/cognitive disabilities.

They are different from the Turquoise Alerts, which started earlier this year for endangered missing persons younger than 65 who don’t meet the disability requirement of a SAFE Alert.

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