Ahora rentando apartamentos de 2 habitaciones • Excelente ubicación • Vida asequible
A Lake City rest stop ends in heartbreak. Now, a Michigan family is asking for help in finding their missing Yorkie, Renzo.
LAKE CITY, Fla. — A Michigan family’s road trip to Florida has turned into a desperate, statewide search for their missing dog — and they say they are not leaving without him.
Deborah Mourray was traveling down Interstate 75 with her two dogs, Lexi and Renzo, on her way to Fort Myers to meet her daughter. But a quick stop in Columbia County changed everything.
“I stopped at the rest stop just south of Lake City,” Deborah Mourray added.
Mourray says she pulled over at a rest stop at Mile Marker 413 around lunchtime on Monday, Feb. 23. During the stop, she took Renzo — her 8-pound Yorkshire terrier — out for a walk.
“I gave him water and I put him back in the car. It’s not clear to me, but I went to the bathroom and I’m not clear how Renzo got out of the car.”
Mourray didn’t realize Renzo was missing until after she had already left the rest stop. When she noticed he was gone, she immediately turned around — but it was too late.
“I’m pretty sure he stayed right there and my 100% guess is somebody picked him up, thinking maybe he was an abandoned dog.”
Renzo was wearing a camouflage harness with a small gray hood attached, but no collar, and he is not microchipped. His family believes someone may have taken him in, not realizing he already belongs to a loving home.
“He’s high maintenance, but he is the most funny, joyful dog that we have, and every day that we have with him, we smile and we love him,” Jessie Metzler said.
Now, the search has stretched far beyond that rest stop. Mourray and her daughter, Jessie, have been traveling across Florida, putting up flyers and documenting their search on social media.
But amid the heartbreak, the family says they are now facing another challenge — scammers.
“People send me AI-generated pictures saying that they have Renzo in a field or in the back of a car. I even get calls of people harassing me. People barking at me,” Metzler added.
They say they’ve received fake photos, false sightings and even calls demanding money, with some claiming the dog has been found or is no longer alive.
Despite it all, the family continues searching, offering a $1,000 reward for Renzo’s safe return or for information that leads to it.
They want whoever may have him to know one thing: they’re not in trouble.
“I’m not leaving without him,” Mourray added.
In the meantime, experts say there are simple steps pet owners can take to protect their animals if they go missing: always use a collar with up-to-date identification, microchip your pet, and act quickly by contacting local shelters and veterinarians. Posting on social media and putting up flyers can also make a critical difference, especially in the first 24 hours.
If you have any information about Renzo’s whereabouts, you can reach out to Ask Anthony by emailing askanthony@firstcoastnews.com or emailing Renzo’s family at renzoyorkiejessiedeb@gmail.com
💌 Mantente al Día con lo Último del Entretenimiento Latino
Recibe noticias exclusivas de celebridades latinas, chismes virales, belleza, moda y entretenimiento — directo en tu correo.
Sin spam. Solo lo mejor de Atlanta Latinos Magazine.
