ROCHESTER (WWJ) - File this under "I'm not crying, you're crying!"
A 46-year-old turtle that was missing in Rochester for days has miraculously been reunited with its owner.
According to local reports, "Churchy," a 46-year-old river cooter turtle, was found Saturday by a kayaker in a pond at Howlett Park and reunited with her owner, Joanne Wismer.
Churchy had been missing since Thursday afternoon, when she managed to escape from an outside enclosure at her home on the corner of Parkdale and Miller avenues, not too far from the park.
"She was outside. She comes out to lay eggs, they're not fertile but she has to lay them. She's 46-years-old. I was out with her and then I put her in the enclosure, which usually she has no problem staying in," Wismer told WWJ's Charlie Langton before getting too distraught to speak.
Wismer was so heartbroken by Churchy's disappearance, she couldn't sleep. Even her four cats seemed to notice the loss.
Shortly after Churchy was discovered missing, a neighbor told Wismer they noticed a car stopped at the corner, and said it looked like someone picked something up from the road.
News about Churchy's disappearance made local headlines as Wismer put signs all around downtown Rochester, hoping someone would know what happened to her beloved pet.
And Wismer's efforts paid off! A man apparently called police to report that he had found Churchy in the road and, thinking it was a wild animal and wanting to help, picked her up and released her in the park. A search was launched and as they say, the rest is history.
