Cleveland, Ohio — A wayward tortoise's surprising trek around Ohio has ended happily for its owner, whose two-week search, in a twist of fate, might have saved her sister's life.
Otis the California desert tortoise managed to push open a sliding glass door and escape from Kathie Heisinger's home in Sebring in Mahoning County on May 30.
Heisinger created flyers offering a $200 reward that was quickly matched by the Sebring Volunteer Fire Department, prompting her to make the reward $500 total.
Facebook posts and shares, newspaper and television stories and the flyers led to more than 100 phone calls from people who believed they had spotted him.
Village residents soon joined Heisinger in her search around Sebring. "There are a lot of good people in the world," Heisinger said. Otis quickly became a minor celebrity.
Heisinger then heard rumors that employees of an amusement company working the Sebring Fireman's Festival the weekend Otis went missing might have scooped him up.
She called the company headquartered 20 miles away in Stark County and the owner told Heisinger his employees had indeed taken possession of Otis - at least temporarily.