Benjamin McDaniel, 30, was last seen August 18, 2010, at Vortex Spring in Ponce de Leon, Florida, where he went cave diving alone around 7:30 p.m. He was a scuba enthusiast from Collierville, Tennessee, known to other divers and had frequented the spring despite not being fully certified for cave diving. Two employees saw him enter the cave but did not see him resurface. His truck was found parked at the spring two days later, prompting staff to report him missing.

Search teams concentrated on the cave system. Divers recovered Ben’s unused decompression tanks near the cave entrance, but despite multiple search efforts there was no sign of him. The case remains open and unsolved, with theories ranging from accidental drowning to foul play or a staged disappearance, but no definitive evidence has emerged to explain his fate.

If anyone dove at Vortex Spring around August 18, 2010, or has information about Ben’s activities that evening, please share what is known.