ROCHESTER (WWJ) - A frantic search is underway for a treasured family pet in downtown Rochester.
Joanne Wismer said "Churchy," a river cooter turtle, went missing Thursday afternoon from her home at the corner of Parkdale and Miller avenues in downtown Rochester.
"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.
Shortly after Churchy was discovered missing, a car stopped at the corner and a neighbor said it looked like someone picked something up from the road. Now, Wismer is worried someone may have taken Churchy thinking she was a wild animal.
"If somebody picked her up, would they please bring her back or tell me did they let her go because they thought she was a wild turtle and, you know, put her in the water or something," she said.
Wismer couldn't sleep a wink all night because she was so worried about Churchy. Even her four cats seemed to notice the loss.
"Oh, I am broken hearted," she said, tearing up. "I just want her back."
Churchy is 46-years-old and is about the size of a hand with fingers spread wide.
Anyone with information on Churchy's whereabouts is asked to contact Wismer at 248-564-8193.
Locally-based petkey, a pet microchipping company, heard about Wismer's distress and made an offer: When Churchy is found the company will microchip her with a lifetime membership account so she never gets lost again.
To aid the search, petkey also created a lost pet alert poster and sent it to 1,600 people in their database who live within 25 miles of Churchy's disappearance.
