BUCKINGHAM, Florida (WFTX) \u2014 A 79-year-old man who went missing in Buckingham in January was reunited with the K9 that found him after spending a frigid night in the Buckingham Preserve.<\/p>\n
Joceli Coutinho disappeared in the Buckingham Preserve, prompting a nearly 24-hour search by the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office. For his son Everton, the wait was agonizing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was probably the hardest nights that we\u2019ve had in my entire life,\u201d Everton said.<\/p>\n
Everton he got a text from his sister saying they found his dad, and he ran straight to deputies found him in Buckingham Preserve<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know whether he was alive or dead, so he told me, like, \u2018Look, your dad\u2019s alive. He\u2019s well, he\u2019s conscious. He\u2019s very strong,\u2019 and that\u2019s when I think I just like, it was such a relief,\u201d Everton said.<\/p>\n
The successful rescue was thanks to K9 Remy, a bloodhound with the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office. On Thursday, Joceli was reunited with Remy for the first time since that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big dog,\u201d Joceli said in Portuguese as Remy showed him affection, licking his hand. The love was returned, with the family creating signs and giving him lots of pets.<\/p>\n
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said this story demonstrates the resources and tools available to help bring people home safely.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge win, not only for us, because we saved a life, but to know that the technology we have in place, the proactive things that we do to make sure we\u2019re ready for anything that comes our way, was successful,\u201d Marceno said.<\/p>\n
The emotional reunion highlighted the bond between the rescued man and his four-legged hero, with Everton expressing his gratitude to the search teams and Remy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for not giving up on my dad. You know, thank you for doing everything possible to find my dad,\u201d Everton said.<\/p>\n
The-CNN-Wire\u2122 & \u00a9 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
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