Silver Alert issued for Chapel Hill man

Chapel Hill police were searching Saturday for a 51-year-old Chapel Hill man who has a cognitive impairment.

The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued a Silver Alert for Ricky Vinson Vanhook around 8:45 p.m.

Vanhook was last seen at Old Highway 86 and Dairyland Road. He is black with short brown hair and green eyes. He stands 5 feet 10 inches and weighs about 175 pounds.

Anyone with information on Vanhook's whereabouts is asked to call police at 919-968-2760.

Developed in 2007, Silver Alert is a system to quickly notify the public about missing endangered adults who suffer from dementia or other cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease.

It also allows caregivers and nursing homes to report a person missing. In the past, only a family member could report an adult missing.