{"id":171633,"date":"2026-02-27T16:21:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/171633\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:21:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:21:06","slug":"missing-florida-man-airlifted-in-critical-condition-after-hours-long-mud-rescue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/171633\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing Florida man airlifted in critical condition after hours-long mud rescue"},"content":{"rendered":"

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A Jacksonville <\/a>man reported missing earlier this month was found alive in an intense rescue Wednesday, buried shoulder-deep in mud on the sprawling grounds of a Putnam County industrial property.<\/p>\n

The search for 36-year-old Andrew Giddens began after deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office<\/a> discovered his abandoned vehicle on Feb. 23. A PCSO deputy who previously encountered Giddens during a 2023 incident at another Vulcan Materials Company<\/a> site recognized both the vehicle and the name on its registration. Acting on that familiarity, PCSO said the deputy alerted Vulcan employees and asked them to inspect the vast property for any signs of disturbance. At the same time, he coordinated an aerial search through the sheriff\u2019s aviation unit and contacted the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office to conduct a welfare check at Giddens\u2019 residence.<\/p>\n

The missing-person investigation intensified when friends and family reached out to Deputy Holmes, reporting that Giddens had been depressed following a recent breakup. His last known contact with anyone had been a Feb. 14 phone call with his father. Based on this information, the Putnam County Sheriff\u2019s Office formally opened a missing-person case.<\/p>\n

Vulcan employees continued monitoring the property when one worker spotted Giddens near a borrow pit\u2014almost invisible, with only his head and shoulders above the surface, according to the sheriff’s office. The mud had swallowed him nearly to his neck, leaving him camouflaged below the surrounding grass line. Though Giddens was able to speak, the ground around him was too unstable for the employee to reach him safely.<\/p>\n

Bodycam video<\/a> shows the discovery of Giddens, along with the rescue efforts it took to get him out of the pit. <\/p>\n

FEBRUARY 26, 2026 – The Putnam County Sheriff\u2019s Office said 36\u2011year\u2011old Andrew Giddens of Jacksonville was found alive and buried shoulder\u2011deep in mud on a remote Vulcan Materials Company property in Putnam County after a days\u2011long search. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office){ }<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Multiple fire and rescue teams responded, including Putnam County Fire Rescue, Palatka Fire Department, Melrose Fire Department, and Clay County Fire Rescue. Initial attempts to pull Giddens free using ropes failed due to the suction-like force of the mud and the treacherous terrain. Rescuers then shifted to a technical operation, laying ladders, backboards, and pallets across the unstable surface to create a safe path. Progress remained slow; responders had to carefully distribute their weight to avoid sinking themselves.<\/p>\n

See also: Cognizant Classic generates revenue for county, local charities long after event ends<\/a><\/p>\n

Working for hours as daylight faded, rescue crews painstakingly dug and maneuvered around Giddens until they were finally able to free him at around 8:30 p.m. PCSO said he was taken by air to a trauma center in critical condition.<\/p>\n

Because of the nature of Giddens\u2019 mental health crisis leading up to the incident, authorities say no charges are being considered. The Putnam County Sheriff\u2019s Office urged anyone struggling or feeling hopeless to seek help by contacting 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline<\/a>, and encouraged families to continue checking in on loved ones during moments of stress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A Jacksonville man reported missing earlier this month was found alive in an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-171633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}