Heba and Ehab Fahmy are living through two griefs at once in Orlando: searching for their missing African Grey parrot, Cuca, who flew out the front door of their son's home on September 9, and mourning their 19-year-old son, Andrew Fahmy. The two losses are tangled together in ways the family says they never expected, with the search for one leading, painfully, to the final weeks with the other.
Cuca flew out of the front door of Andrew Fahmy's Orlando home on September 9 while Heba and Ehab Fahmy were visiting, according to WKMG. Rather than heading home as planned, the couple stayed in Orlando to search for the bird, a decision that gave them two extra weeks with their son before he died.
Before leaving again, Heba Fahmy asked Andrew to keep an eye out for bird sightings while she was away, and reminded him to keep up with his studies and stay safe on his motorcycle, the station's report states. She recalled telling him, “I'll see you when I get back.”
A Search That Has Cost Thousands of Dollars
A Search That Has Cost Thousands of Dollars The hunt for Cuca has included missing-bird signs posted around east Orlando, per the same account. Heba Fahmy estimates the family has spent around $20,000 trying to find the parrot. She recorded herself speaking normally to Cuca and has played that recording through Bluetooth speakers while searching, hoping the familiar voice might draw him out. Ehab Fahmy has also been part of the search.
Cuca is described as an African Grey parrot with a red tail who ate meals with the Fahmy family, followed them from room to room, and had perches set up throughout their home, according to the WKMG report. Heba Fahmy, who homeschooled her sons, said the bird became a constant companion to her. Congo African Grey parrots are known for cognitive reasoning skills comparable to a five-year-old child and can live 50 to 60 years or more in a home environment, according to The Happy Chicken Coop, helping explain the depth of the bond the family describes.
A Protected, Distinctive Bird
The species carries gray body plumage, a white eye mask, bright red tail feathers, and a wingspan of 18 to 20 inches, per the International Fund for Animal Welfare — markers the Fahmy family hopes will help someone spot their bird. The species was placed under CITES Appendix I protection in January 2017, according to Psittacus, a global ban on international commercial trade of wild-caught specimens that reflects how severely poaching reduced wild populations across West and Central Africa. Escaped domestic parrots may lack some survival skills, and the family is searching for Cuca.
Heba and Ehab Fahmy are continuing to search for Cuca.
Remembering Andrew Fahmy
Andrew Fahmy was born on July 30, 2007, in Hackensack, New Jersey, and was studying electrical engineering at the University of Central Florida while working at his family's engineering firm, EACH Engineering, according to an obituary published by Dignity Memorial. He loved hiking, camping, and spending time outdoors. A Coptic Orthodox funeral service was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on October 3 at St. Simon the Tanner Coptic Orthodox Church in Sarasota.
Andrew's death adds his name to a grim local statistic. Orange County recorded 549 motorcycle crashes, 487 injuries, and 31 fatalities in 2024, with motorcyclists accounting for roughly 11 percent of Orlando-area traffic deaths compared to 7.5 percent statewide, according to HOV Law. Statewide, Florida recorded 599 motorcycle fatalities in 2024 and 549 in 2025, consistently ranking among the highest totals for rider deaths nationwide, per Bernstein Law. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has reported that motorcycle fatalities made up 18.5 percent of all motor vehicle deaths across the state in 2024.
For the Fahmy family, those numbers are no longer abstract. They are still walking Orlando's streets and skies looking for Cuca, carrying both their grief and their hope for his safe return together.
