On the day he disappeared, Tidwell told his wife that he was going to meet a man in Sturgis about a job. The man, who has never been identified, was supposed to have been a foreman in a river industry job in southern Illinois. Police think Tidwell went to meet him at the man's Sturgis home. Tidwell left his residence two miles east of Marion on U. S. 60 at 20:55 p. m. He was driving a yellow, 1974 Bel Air Chevrolet, with KY tag number AKV 215. No trace of Tidwell or his vehicle have surfaced. Tidwell was an unemployed river boat deckhand when he disappeared. He had worked in several river-related businesses, on the water and on shore. Tidwell had applied for unemployment benefits just days before he vanished. Tidwell didn't have a prior record to indicate any legal troubles and his family life appeared fine. He left two young girls and his wife. The Social Security Administration eventually declared him dead and his family received benefits.