Authorities are actively searching for an elderly Seminole County woman who has been missing since last Thursday.

According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, a Silver Alert has been issued for 82-year-old Ruth Louie, who was last seen on Feb. 4 near Highway 270 and NS3610. She reportedly got into a white Nissan Altima that headed toward Wewoka.

The sheriff’s office said Louie was wearing a coat, a blue shirt and red pants when she disappeared. She is described as an African American/American Indian woman with brown eyes, who stands about 5’2” and weighs between 140 and 150 pounds.

Anyone with knowledge of Louie’s whereabouts should call the sheriff’s office at (405) 257-5445 or 911 immediately.

The Silver Alert system was birthed in 2005, when Oklahoma State Representative Fred Perry (R-Tulsa) announced his intention to introduce an “AMBER Alert for seniors”, which he dubbed “Silver Alert.”

In March 2006, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed H.R. 1075, a resolution calling for a Silver Alert system to find missing seniors. In response to this non-binding resolution, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety added Silver Alert notifications to the statewide alerts sent to law enforcement agencies and the media for rapid distribution. In April 2009, Governor Brad Henry signed legislation that permanently established the program.