KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Authorities in Knox County are searching for a woman seen on video picking up a French Bulldog that disappeared from a neighborhood east of Knoxville earlier this month.
According to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the dog, named Papí, went missing around 4:44 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, from the Three Point Landing subdivision off Rutledge Pike near the Knoxville Livestock Center.
Deputies said video footage shows a woman in a black sedan, possibly a Kia Optima, stopping in the roadway, calling to Papí, and then opening her car door before the dog jumped inside. The woman then drove away.
Investigators said they hope the woman may have believed Papí was lost and intended to help, but they are asking her — or anyone who can identify her — to contact law enforcement.
Papí’s owner told deputies that the dog, a young merle-colored French Bulldog, had run briefly to a neighbor’s yard while outside and vanished moments later. The dog is microchipped and was taken on what was supposed to be his birthday, the sheriff’s office said.
“His human misses him,” the department wrote in a social media post. “Let’s get Papí home so he can have that belated birthday party.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
