SAFE Alert canceled after 73-year-old Phoenix man returns home on his own

PHOENIX — Authorities canceled a SAFE Alert for a missing 73-year-old Phoenix man on Wednesday after he returned home on his own.

Melvin Lee Jackson was safe and unharmed, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Jackson had last been seen near 16th Street and Roeser Road on Nov. 16, prompting a SAFE Alert to be activated on Monday.

He is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Jackson has a medical condition that can cause him to become lost or easily confused.

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

This is an updated version of a story originally published on Dec. 1, 2025.

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