A Florida man who went missing on Valentine’s Day was rescued Thursday after becoming trapped up to his shoulders in mud described as “quicksand” without food or water for several days.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office reported that Andrew Giddens, 36, of Jacksonville, was rescued at a Vulcan Materials Company facility east of Melrose.
Giddens had not been seen by his family since February 14 and had been reported missing. According to the sheriff’s office, his family and friends alerted authorities after he became depressed following a recent breakup.
On social media, the sheriff’s office said deputies found Giddens on Thursday “covered up to his shoulders in mud and sunk below the level of the grass surrounding the mining pit, making him virtually indistinguishable.”
The Palatka Fire Department said on Facebook that Giddens “had been trapped in the mud for several days, without food or water, while the area experienced sub-zero temperatures.”
A video of the incident shows that officers initially had difficulty removing him with ropes and then used ladders, pallets, wooden boards and other tools to dig him free.
“In addition, due to the unstable terrain, response teams had to move slowly to avoid sinking,” the sheriff’s office added. After more than two hours, he was finally free at 8:30 pm Eastern Time on Thursday.
The man was able to talk to rescuers, but he was taken by air ambulance to a trauma center in critical condition, the sheriff’s office reported.
Collaborating in the rescue were Putnam County Fire Rescue, the Palatka Fire Department, the Melrose Fire Department and Clay County Fire Rescue.
Agents found Giddens’ car abandoned on February 23 and had already caught him trespassing at another Vulcan Materials Company facility in 2023.
The sheriff’s office said it was not contemplating filing criminal trespass charges against Giddens “due to his mental health.”
“We hope he can recover from this experience both physically and mentally,” he said. “We also ask family and friends to continue to check on their loved ones, especially during times of high stress and anxiety.”
A Vulcan spokesperson said: “Our Vulcan team at the Grandin sand plant responded to an intrusion situation with care and compassion, guiding first responders to a man in distress. We are pleased he was safely rescued and thank the emergency services who assisted him.”
If you or someone you know is going through a crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to contact the crisis and suicide prevention helpline. You can also call this network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255 visit him SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
This story was translated from English with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. A Telemundo Digital editor reviewed the translation.
This article was originally published in English by Patrick Smith for our sister network NBC News. For more from NBC News, go here.
