Purple Alert issued for Brooksville woman, later found safe

Elizabeth Fielding was recovered safe after Hernando County deputies issued a Purple Alert for the Brooksville woman and asked the public to watch for a white 2007 Ford Ranger with Florida tag CX68BW.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office said Fielding went missing about 6:45 p.m. on July 17 from a residence on Daytona Street in Brooksville. FDLE’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse listed her as a 60-year-old White female, born Sept. 16, 1965, missing from Brooksville since July 17. Florida 511 also issued the alert and urged anyone with information to call *347.

Deputies said Fielding was later seen on July 18 before the case was resolved. At 8:53 a.m. on July 18, the sheriff’s office posted an update saying Elizabeth Fielding was recovered safe.

A Purple Alert in Florida is used for a missing adult who has a mental or cognitive disability that is not Alzheimer’s disease or a dementia-related disorder. State officials created the alert as an option for cases that do not fit Amber Alert or Silver Alert criteria, giving law enforcement another way to quickly push identifying details to the public when a vulnerable adult disappears.

In Fielding’s case, the public was given the key details needed for a fast sighting report: her name, age, race, sex, date of birth, last known location in Brooksville, and the vehicle she was believed to be driving. The white Ford Ranger, Florida tag CX68BW, was the most important visual identifier for anyone in Hernando County who might have seen her in the Daytona Street area or elsewhere in town before she was found safe.