Heinz is searching for a sailor who survived on ketchup while he was lost at sea.
It's been nearly a month since the Colombian Navy's announcement that it had rescued a man — later identified as Elvis Francois — who went missing at sea in December 2022 and spent 24 days adrift.
After being picked up by a merchant ship, the man's sailboat — which he had to constantly drain water from to prevent sinking — was abandoned. In a video released by the naval branch, the 47-year-old man said he relied on Maggi cubes, garlic powder and a bottle of ketchup to survive.
Now, an iconic ketchup company is asking fans to help it track down Francois to buy him a new boat.
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In an Instagram posted on Feb. 14, Heinz wrote to fans, “Help us #findtheketchupboatguy.”
The post features an image of a message in a ketchup bottle washed onto shore.
“To whoever finds this message,” the caption reads. “We need your help tracking down an amazing man with an amazing story. You may remember Elvis Francois as the brave sailor who survived on nothing but ketchup and spices while adrift at sea for 24 days. Well, Heinz wants to celebrate his safe return home and help him buy a new boat… but we can’t seem to find him.”
U.S. & World
"So, we’re setting this message adrift into the sea of the internet because if anyone can help us find him, it’s you. If you or anyone you know can help us get in contact with Elvis Francois, please drop us a DM. Don’t forget to share this post with all your friends so we can #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy," the post concludes.
A spokesperson for Heinz explained to TODAY.com that the company hopes to gift Francois "a new boat equipped with full navigational technology to avoid another disaster in the future."
In the days since sharing the post, Heinz revealed it has narrowed down its global search for Francois to the island country of Dominica.
"Square miles: 290, Villages: 53, Towns: 18, Elvis Francois: ?" the company captioned another post. "Elvis Francois could be anywhere in Dominica. So, we’re turning to you, the internet, to help us track him down so we can celebrate his safe return and help him buy a new boat."
More recently, on Feb. 18, the brand shared it reached an "impasse" in its search and remarked that it is certain he is "still out there."
Desde el aire se estableció la ubicación del velero en emergencia que tenía la palabra “HELP” (Ayuda) grabada sobre su casco.
— Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) January 18, 2023
Se dio aviso a las unidades en tierra y mar, donde el buque mercante CMA CGM VOLTARIO se unió a la labor de rescate.#ProtegemosLaVida ⚓ pic.twitter.com/DSGZU6fdeK
According to the Colombian Navy, Francois was found lost at sea 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolívar, Ecuador.
In a tweet about the incident, the naval branch explained that Francoi's distresses signal was spotted from the air. The sailor had written the word “HELP” on the hull of his boat.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
