A 21-year-old National Guardsman whose Thanksgiving disappearance prompted search parties of friends and family to criss-cross Cincinnati amid falling snow was found safe Thursday, according to Cincinnati police Lt. Steve Saunders.
Jordan Middlebrooks had been nine hours away in Clayton County, Georgia. Saunders did not say why or how long he had been there.
Middlebrooks drove from Columbus to Cincinnati to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends at Mixwell's in Northside, according to friend Naj Jabari. He had parked his car ahead of time outside a Taco Bell in Covington, Kentucky, and did not retrieve it or contact other concerned friends in the following days.
"We're hoping for the best," Jabari said Monday. "My hope is that we find him safe and sound, no matter where he is. … I know everyone's just wanting to give him a big ol' hug."
Jabari and others described Middlebrooks as gentle and introspective, with a love of photography.
