Irvington gathers to search for missing 72-year-old neighbor - IndyStar

Search Effort Mobilizes in Irvington Before Annual Festival

Minutes before 10 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2026, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced that 72-year-old David Skirvin was found and is safe, concluding an intensive neighborhood search that had mobilized dozens of residents on the city’s east side, IndyStar reported.

The Irvington community is rallying to find 72-year-old David Skirvin after he was reported missing and a Silver Alert was issued.With the neighborhood's Halloween festival approaching and thousands of visitors expected in the area, the timing is adding urgency and concern to… pic.twitter.com/a0gIvYYtTI

— https://x.com/indystar/status/2116249875058766288

Skirvin had left his home in the 5700 block of East New York Street without his phone or identification on the evening of Oct. 29. According to Hoodline, investigators confirmed he was on foot and noted that he lives with Parkinson’s disease and memory loss, leaving him with trouble speaking and making it difficult for him to identify himself to strangers.

Grassroots Response and Community Organization

As the search intensified through the morning of Oct. 30, residents volunteered their help after Skirvin’s family and friends called on people to help search the neighborhood. Sylvia Zimmerman, a friend and neighbor who searched alongside about three dozen others until 2:30 a.m. and resumed her efforts after dropping her grandchildren off at school, remarked that “the whole of Irvington is activated.”

“We can’t wait hours in that situation to see if he comes back…Time is not a good thing in this case.” — Lisa Scott, Irvington Resident

Residents expressed concern over the timing of the disappearance, noting that Irvington’s annual Halloween festival was scheduled for Oct. 31, bringing an expected influx of more than 50,000 visitors to the neighborhood and threatening to severely complicate search operations.

Police Response and Safety Protocols

While local residents questioned why a Silver Alert was not issued immediately by authorities on Oct. 30, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit handled the case with urgency given Skirvin’s medical needs and vulnerability while traveling on foot.

Missing irvington man has parkinson s police say he may be on foot — Photo: hoodline.com

Police and family members had urged anyone with information regarding Skirvin’s whereabouts to contact the IMPD Missing Persons Unit at (317) 327-6160 or call 911 immediately. With the late-evening announcement from IMPD confirming Skirvin has been located and is safe, the community mobilization has drawn to a close.