Caught on Camera: Deputies rescue missing 78-year-old man in Lee County

LEE COUNTY, Fla.— The Lee County Sheriff's Office conducted an active search for a previously missing 78-year-old man.

The sheriff’s office responded to a missing person report, of whom was identified as Coutinho, a Lehigh Acres resident, on Wednesday. Deputies noted that the 78-year-old is diagnosed with a neurocognitive disorder.

Following the reports filing, a large-scale,  multi-agency search was initiated, involving the sheriff’s office’s patrol division, major crimes unit, advanced technology support unit, aviation, K9 units, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Lee County Parks and Recreation, Lee County Emergency Medical Services, and the Lehigh Acres, Tice, and San Carlos Fire Departments, along with FLDFS.

The search lasted roughly 24 hours. Coutinho was located safely by K9 Deputy Elwell and his bloodhound partner, Remy, at around 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Remy was featured by WINK News in May 2025, along with several other bloodhound units, where they demonstrated their specialty—sniffing. Former WINK News reporter Amy Galo put Remy’s abilities to the test to showcase how powerful his nose was. Given ample time to hide herself, the bloodhound was able to locate Galo within 40 seconds.

WINK News spoke with Coutinho’s grandson, Thomas Manfra, who was at home when Coutinho disappeared. Manfra described Coutinho as his best friend. 

"When I was younger, he would always pick me up from school on Friday," he said. “He didn't have a lot, but he would always have like, five stacks of quarters and buy me a $5 snow cone at school.” 

Manfra explained that his grandmother was cooking when Coutinho said he was going to use the bathroom, but never returned. The family believes he exited through a back door to the lanai, where he usually sits to bird-watch. 

"He'll just stay out there where we can see him," said Manfra. "But this is very unusual." 

However, Coutinho's sudden disappearance was unusual. Manfra added that his grandfather typically goes on walks with supervision. 

"When he does his walks, he does it with my grandma or someone supervising him with a dog and all that," said Manfra. "Usually, he'll just stay in the house or on the lanai sitting."

Following Coutinho’s rescue, law enforcement immediately transported him to a local hospital for medical evaluation, where he is reportedly in stable condition.  

Provided below is the body camera footage of Coutinho’s rescue by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.