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Families seek changes to Silver Alert procedures after losing loved ones

Police in Nevada delayed issuing a Silver Alert last week for a missing Indiana couple because they weren't residents of the state.

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana family hopes the hurdles they faced in finding a missing couple in Nevada will lead to changes in Silver Alert policies in that state. 

Ron and Beverly Barker went missing on a trip out west and were stranded in the Nevada mountains for over a week, their whereabouts unknown.  

Ron died before the couple was located. The family had trouble getting a Silver Alert because the couple did not meet the requirement of living in Nevada.  

"Out of Ronnie's passing, there's going to be good that comes from it,” said Travis Peters, the couple's nephew. “There's going to be changes to the way that Nevada handles missing persons, I can assure you of that.” 

Indiana will issue a Silver Alert for anyone who meets broader criteria. 

“Every state is different when it comes to issuing Silver Alerts and Amber Alerts,” said Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle. “I can tell you, though, that here in the state of Indiana, if you're not a resident, but you have lived here for quite some time, or maybe you've been visiting for a period of time, we can still issue a Silver Alert if we believe that you are in danger." 

Credit: Barker Family
Ronnie and Beverly Barker were on an RV trip from Oregon to Arizona when they disappeared in the Nevada desert sometime in late March, 2022.

The Indiana Silver Alert criteria includes: 

  • A missing endangered adult, child, high-risk person, or someone with a mental impairment validated by a medical professional.
  • There must be enough descriptive information to believe the alert will help find them.
  • The request must be recommended by a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
  • State Police activate the Silver Alert after authorization from the Indiana Clearinghouse for Information on Missing Children and Missing Endangered Adults. 

In Anderson, the family of Barry Baker is upset because it took more than 24 hours to issue a Silver Alert when he went missing last week. A train struck and killed Baker four hours before the alert requested by Alexandria Police was issued.

Credit: Family photo
Barry Baker

“We were working actively trying to get somebody to help us, and they just were not interested in doing so,” said Meaghan Mattingly, Baker's niece.

RELATED: Family blames police for Alexandria man's death after jail release

Last year, Indiana processed a record 203 Silver Alert requests with a record 153 activations. In all, 152 people were located, with 96 credited to Indiana State Police activating a Silver Alert. 

Two people died while missing.  

"If we issued a Silver Alert every single time someone comes up missing, then at some point, these alerts are not going to mean anything and nobody's going to be paying attention,” Ringle said. “Mistakes do happen, but that criteria have to be met for this program to be successful."

Police recommend that you have a recent photo of loved ones, especially older and high-risk people. A photo of their vehicle is also helpful.  

"When a loved one or someone that you're concerned about is missing, it's important to contact law enforcement right away,” Ringle said. “So once law enforcement is involved, there is a criteria that has to be met. We have to be able to prove that that person is in some form of danger.”

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