Nixle helps police find missing people, but most residents have yet to sign up

Elizabeth Mello was found within hours of a missing persons report on Sunday afternoon.

Santa Barbara police credit Nixle and a good samaritan who signed up for the missing persons alerts.

The 63-year-old has dementia and went missing near Shoreline Park.

By 7:15p.m. she had been found thanks to a 911 call by Avi Goldyne.

Goldyne and his wife had seen a woman who fit her description near their home on Cliff Drive and dispatchers asked them to keep an eye on her until police arrived.

Police said she wasn’t dressed for the cold evening temperatures. They say the Goldynes may have saved her life.

“I think we are all community neighbors on Nextdoor and community members watch out for eachother,” Goldyne said.

Goldyne has a relative with dementia and said he is just happy he and his wife could help.

Santa Barbara Police Department’s public engagement officer Anthony Wagner said this is the third time Nixle has led to a good outcome this year.

Wagner says a nurse in Ventura helped them find a missing Santa Barbara teen earlier this year and another person signed up for Nixle helped them find a missing 3-year-old..

But he said only 20,000 Santa Barbara residents have signed up and they would like at least 60,000 to opt in.

All people have to do is text your zip code to 888777.

Wagner said he knows people are apprehensive of being contacted by law enforcement, but he they use it sparingly.”

The nonprofit service is free and users can also opt to get texts and emails about crime, weather and local events.

If they don’t like it they can unsubscribe, but police hope residents will take the time to give it a try.

For more information vist the Nixle website.