FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Action News Jax has learned more about the man at the center of a 7-hour manhunt in Nassau County.
45-year-old Ryan Daniel Nave is now behind bars without bond, charged with attempted second-degree murder.
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It was a law enforcement search for Nave that left Fernandina Beach neighbors on edge Wednesday night.
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Nave stabbed a woman he knew after asking her for food. He is listed as homeless in the county’s inmate log.
“The victim did not want to let him in the house. But he wanted something to eat, so she decided to let him in,” said Leeper.
The arrest warrant said Nave ran off after other people returned to the home.
Court documents detail the bloody scene that deputies found on Robin Hood Drive:
“A female victim, in a bedroom, with 9 major puncture wounds to her head, torso, arms, and legs,” and “13 defensive wounds on her arms and hands.”
“Obviously, it looks like he’s got some mental issues too. He’s well known in the area. He goes around. If you do what he did, he’s nuts,” said Leeper.
Court records show Nave has been in prison twice before.
He served 13 months for each conviction in Nassau County: One in 2017 for burglary and one for possession of meth in 2018.
Along with his current mugshot, Action News Jax found two prior mugshots from Nassau County from earlier this year when he was arrested for trespassing.
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Nave was found in a wooded area about a mile away from the house, after the Sheriff’s Office said someone spotted him and called law enforcement.
Action News Jax was in Fernandina Beach throughout the search, and one neighbor said he believed he had seen Nave.
“I saw a gentleman on the left-hand side of the road coming out of a ditch,” said David Powell. Powell also said the man was covered in blood.
The victim, who has not been identified, was in critical condition at last check.
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