Man reported missing by family, then deputy hears cries underground, TX cops say

A missing man was rescued after authorities found him trapped underground on a rural Texas property, officials told news outlets.

Deputies began investigating after receiving a 911 call from the missing 29-year-old man’s family at about 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office told KVEO. The caller said their uncle didn’t arrive at day care that morning, and they hadn’t seen him since last night, according to the sheriff’s office.

A deputy went to the family’s property in rural Edinburg to begin the search, calling out the man’s name as they scoured the area, and eventually the deputy heard a “faint voice coming from the ground, calling for help,” officials told KRGV.

The voice was coming from a septic tank, according to authorities.

Firefighters went to the scene to rescue the man, who “fell through a small opening into a septic tank” and couldn’t get out, the Edinburg Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

Photos shared by the department show at least 15 firefighters gathered around the tank during the rescue.

“Firefighters cut through concrete and used rescue equipment to safely pull him out,” the department said, adding that he was in stable condition and taken to a hospital.

The sheriff’s office said the situation “remains under investigation,” MyRGV.com reported.

Edinburg is a roughly 230-mile drive south from San Antonio.