MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A missing couple deputies were searching for Tuesday were located safe later that afternoon on a cruise after a misunderstanding.
Deputies said Wendall Crist, 93, and Joan Crist, 90, left an Ocala home over the weekend to meet family in South Florida but never arrived.
[TRENDING: 2 Central Floridians win $1M each on scratch-off game | Hearing loud booms? Navy dropping bombs as training continues in Ocala | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office later said the couple was found on a cruise. Deputies said the family meant to meet them before embarking on the Ft. Lauderdale cruise, but reported them missing after they missed a voicemail from someone saying they had already got on.
The sheriff’s office said their car, a white 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA with Florida tag DPSS84, was seen heading east on State Road 200 near SW 60th Avenue around 3:30 p.m.
A neighbor told deputies they may have seen the couple Sunday near Southwest 95th Avenue on Sunday, according to a release.