PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Jacksonville man who was reported missing earlier this month was found alive Wednesday at a sand plant near Melrose, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said the man, 36, went several days without food and water but is expected to recover.
He was found stuck in the mud at the Vulcan Sand Plant after family and friends said they hadn’t heard from him in days, deputies said.
Click the player above to see video of the rescue shared by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies contacted family members after locating a vehicle on the side of the road near Paran Church Road and SR 100 in Melrose on Monday.
A deputy, who had a previous encounter with the man trespassing in 2023 on Vulcan Materials Company property at a different site, recognized the vehicle and the name on the registration.
The deputy notified Vulcan and asked them to do a property search and see if anything was disturbed.
The aviation unit was also activated to search for the man, which resulted in no findings. A welfare check was also carried out at his home.
Vulcan employees continued to monitor for signs of Giddens on their expansive property, when he was located shoulder deep in mud close to a borrow pit.
Family and friends told deputies on Feb. 14 that the man had been upset lately due to a recent breakup of a relationship and wanted to report him missing.
After rescuers were able to free him from the muck, he was flown by air ambulance to a trauma center in critical condition.
Due to his mental health, no charges are being considered at this time, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.