Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate a 80-year-old woman who has been missing since midday.

Vita Grasso left her Molesworth Street address after having a phone conversation with her daughter.

Police hold serious concerns for Mrs Grasso due to the heat and her age.

She has been seen in the Coburg area near the corner of Gaffney and Molesworth.

Vita is described as 150 centimetres tall, Caucasian, with short red/brown hair, medium build and brown eyes.

Investigators believe that she was wearing a green sequinned top and black pants.