Jimmy Hall, the father of a man with intellectual disabilities who recently went missing, says now, families like his “will have a voice.” Maryland lawmakers have just passed legislation creating a “Purple Alert” that would create large-scale alerts when adults with intellectual disabilities go missing.
Hall’s 31-year-old son Rashawn Williams, who has Down syndrome, was missing for six days before he was found in a locked room at the Glenmont Metro station in October of last year.
When Williams went missing, his family hoped that an Amber or Silver Alert could be issued — any way to notify people all across the region to be on the lookout for their son, who is nonverbal.
Instead, they found he didn’t qualify.
Amber Alerts are issued by Maryland State Police in cases where the missing person is under the age of 18, has been abducted and could be in “danger of serious bodily harm or death,” according to criteria listed on the MSP website.
Silver Alerts are issued for people with cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer’s and dementia. And the criteria at the time Williams went missing also involved an age limit — for people over the age of 60. In February, during the state’s General Assembly session, that criteria was amended to remove the age restriction.
The language in the Purple Alert legislation makes clear that it’s intended for people who don’t fit the criteria for the Silver Alert.
It is targeted at missing people who have cognitive impairments that are not Alzheimer’s or dementia.
For example, a Purple Alert would be issued in cases involving people with a mental disorder, intellectual or developmental disability, brain injury or an emotional disability related to substance abuse. It would also include people who are deaf, hard of hearing or may also have visual impairments along with hearing deficits.
When he received the news that the Purple Alert bill passed in Annapolis, Hall told WTOP “We cross the finish line victorious.” He also testified during a Senate committee in February that the state urgently needed to create the Purple Alert.
“My son didn’t have a voice, and he had to go missing for six days” before he was found, Hall said.
Hall’s son attended the hearings on the bill during the legislative session. Hall described Williams as “a people person; he really enjoys family and friends, he loves being out, he loves music.”
Hall said he takes joy in knowing future families will be able to get the word out about their missing loved ones more quickly in the future.
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