A ‘Silver Alert’ simultaneously buzzed smartphones across San Francisco just after 7:30 pm Wednesday night alerting the city that an 81-year-old woman was missing. But maybe that alert was a good call, as she was located less than two hours later.

Were you one of the countless San Franciscans whose phone shockingly blared out some strange noises Wednesday night about a missing person alert? “SILVER ALERT: Missing/Endangered Adult,” the 7:38 pm Wednesday night message declared, as seen below, with a link to the @CHPAlerts Twitter page.

But if you still have the alert, that CHPAlerts Twitter link is now a dead link. And that’s because the woman is alive and well, as KRON4 reports that 81-year-old Edna Merrill has been found. Moreover, she was found less than two hours after the alert was sent, so heck, maybe the system worked (even if it alarmed many people).

We do not have any details on how or where Merrill was found, just a 9:35 pm update from KRON4 reading, “UPDATE: Merrill has been found.” But the fact that the California Highway Patrol has deleted the link would certainly seem to confirm this.  

Per KRON4, Merrill had last been seen Wednesday morning at 9am in the Inner Sunset, at 12th Avenue and Irving Street. She was said to be on foot at the time.

According to the California Highway Patrol, “A Silver Alert is activated when an elderly, developmentally, or cognitively-impaired person has gone missing and is determined to be at-risk. Silver Alerts provide immediate information to the public to aid in the swift recovery of at-risk persons meeting the criteria.”

And fortunately this time, that swift recovery did occur.

Related: Ebony Alert Issued for Missing At-Risk Teenager Last Seen in San Francisco on Wednesday [SFist]

Image: Joe Kukura, SFist

A 16-year-old girl from San Francisco has been missing for more than two days, and police are asking for the public’s help to find her.

Authorities are searching for the girl, Mizan Dadres-Oman, who was last seen on Wednesday around 4:30 p.m. on the 800 block of Foerster Street, per the Chronicle. She is described as 5-foot-6, weighing around 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie and dark red sweatpants

Dadres-Oman is especially at risk because she has a central auditory processing disorder, which means she has the logic and reasoning of a younger preteen, according to an SFPD press release.

An official Ebony Alert has been issued about her disappearance in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. She also reportedly is known to visit the Sunnyside Playground and Mount Davidson, in the Miraloma neighborhood, where she went missing, per KRON4.

SFPD says anyone with information about Dadres-Oman can call 911 or the department’s tip line at 415-575-4444. They can also text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.”

UPDATE 1:43: All clear. Just a backpack with no explosives found. Move along now.

UPDATE 1:26: Canines (gorgeous ones, at that) are on the scene to sniff out the situation at hand. Check it out:

UPDATE 1:20: Union Square has been evacuated. No timetable as to when it will reopen. Below, an evacuated Square:

UPDATE: We're now hearing that Union Square is closed and a shelter-in-place is now in effect. The device was found at Geary and Stockton.

This just in: SFPD reports that a suspicious device found at Market and Powell Geary and Stockton, near to the Cable Car turnaround, has been closed. Cable car, traffic, and Muni are heavily delayed.

As the fuzz recommends, definitely avoid the area for now. Please.

We'll update as soon as we know more.

Reports of a gunman on the Holy Names University in the Oakland has prompted a search for a man initially described as "a heavyset white man wearing a blue suit, bald and wearing glasses" who may have had a gun in his waistband.

The search started at around 10:30 a.m. The alleged gunman has yet to be found.

"No injuries have been reported," reports the Oakland Tribune. "Students were evacuated from classrooms, some residents returned to dormitories and about 200 employees and students were sheltering in a gymnasium, police said."

The Catholic university, founded way back in 1868, is located in the Oakland hills. We'll update as soon as we know more.

This just in: Avoid the intersection of Lincoln and Funston near Golden Gate Park as "traffic has been impacted due to a water leak under repair," reports Alert SF.

This just in from Alert SF: "For the next hour, avoid the 3 to 4 block area around Steiner and Bush while utility repairs are made." Please be advised. (To receive alerts regarding emergencies disrupting vehicular/pedestrian traffic, watches and warnings for tsunamis, flooding, earthquake, and overall citywide chaos that might hinder your day, visit alertsf.org.)