A Florida man who went missing on Valentine’s Day was rescued Thursday, stuck shoulder to shoulder in mud described as “quicksand” without food or water for several days.
Andrew Giddens, 36, of Jacksonville, was rescued from the Vulcan Materials Company site east of Melrose, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Giddens had not been seen by her family since February 14 and was the subject of a missing person’s report. The sheriff’s office said his family and friends alerted authorities after suffering depression following a recent relationship breakup.
Deputies on Thursday found Giddens “covered in mud up to his shoulders and submerged below the level of the grass surrounding the borrow pit, virtually concealing him,” the sheriff’s office said on social media.
The Palatka Fire Department said on Facebook that Giddens had been “stuck in the mud for several days without food or water while the area faced freezing temperatures.”
Video of the incident shows Giddens initially struggling to free himself using ropes and then using ladders, planks, wooden planks and other tools to try to dig him out.
“Additionally, due to the instability of the ground, responders had to progress slowly so they would not drown,” the sheriff’s office added. After more than two hours, he was finally released at 8:30pm ET on Thursday.
The man was able to talk to rescuers, but was flown by air ambulance to a trauma center in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said.
The Putnam County Fire Department, Palatka Fire Department, Melrose Fire Department and Clay County Fire Department assisted in the rescue operation.
Deputies found Giddens’ car abandoned on Feb. 23 and had previously been found trespassing at a different Vulcan Materials company in 2023.
The sheriff’s office said trespassing charges are not being considered against Giddens “due to his mental health.”
“We hope he recovers physically and mentally from his ordeal,” it said. “We ask family members and friends to continue to check on loved ones, especially during times of high stress and anxiety.”
A spokesperson for Vulcan said: “Our Vulcan team at the Grandin Sand plant handled the incident with care and compassion, protecting the first responders who were in distress. We are grateful for their safe rescue and the first responders who assisted them.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or go 988lifeline.org To reach the lifeline of suicide and crisis. You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 or visit SpeechOfSuicide.com/resources.
