Jacksonville Resident Missing in Boating Mishap
The FWC has been searching since Sunday afternoon

Posted Aug. 18, 2009

 
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The search continues for a Jacksonville man who went missing Sunday while boating in Julington Creek near Mandarin.

Shane M. Wiggins, 29, was headed toward the St. Johns River out of Julington Creek with Patti A. Floyd, 40, of St. Augustine. Floyd was the only passenger aboard Wiggins' 2001 20-foot Pro Sport flats boat, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigators.

Floyd told investigators that when they cleared the bridge area, Wiggins put the boat motor in neutral and stepped to the rear of the boat to urinate. Floyd said when she looked back, Wiggins was no longer on the boat.

Floyd put the boat into gear and began searching for Wiggins, FWC investigators said. She looked for several minutes and didn't see him surface. A sailboat approached Floyd, and she asked for their
assistance. Two men aboard the sailboat stopped, and the captain called the Coast Guard to report the incident.

The search began Sunday afternoon and continued Tuesday, with personnel from the FWC, the Coast Guard, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Clay County Sheriff's Office and St. Johns County Sheriff's Office looking for Wiggins.

According to Capt. Martin Redmond, FWC investigations supervisor, "We'll use the equipment we have available, such as patrol vessels, side-scanning sonar and aircraft, to attempt to locate Wiggins, as well
as investigate the circumstances surrounding his disappearance."