Tortoise held for ransom leads to man wanted on sex charges

Swayze-Krampota began posting flyers asking for information about her missing pet,  and eventually received a phone call from a man demanding a $1,000 ransom for Gracie's return. She also received several calls from people claiming that they had seen the tortoise in the home of 34-year-old Joseph Urbino, according to KPRC.

Swayze-Krampota confronted Urbino at his home, and KPRC reported that authorities soon arrived on the scene.  Sherriff’s deputies ran Urbino's license plate, and they discovered that he had a pair of outstanding warrants for aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Urbino, now facing additional theft charges, was arrested, according to KPRC, and Gracie was found hidden inside a duffel bag in a closet of Urbino's home.

Gracie isn't the only missing Texas pet to make headlines recently. In July, the Statesman reported on Oliver, an 85-year-old parrot from East Texas whose disappearance and reunion with her owners was surrounded by strange events. What started as a pretty open-and-shut case of bird abduction ended with a three-day trial and a lawsuit against the City of Tyler.

Oliver was back with her owners within a day, other pet owners have had to wait longer. A slew of other animals have also gone missing in Texas over the years, including one San Antonio woman's Saddlebred Pinto, Opie, who was missing for ten years before being reunited with his owner.