I just imagined him being really tired and scared.. But she couldnt imagine anything good coming from Johns death. He served a mission for The. Its still painful to talk much about John. But John hadnt moved, spoken or breathed for hours. The downward angle at which John was trapped was putting great stress on his body because such a position requires the heart to work incredibly hard to continuously pump blood out of the brain (obviously, when the body is right side up, gravity does the work and the heart doesnt have to shoulder that load). Lists of true accounts of real people who survived unfathomable situations and depictions of fights for survival in film, TV, video games, and other media. They even considered explosives. They might also remember the man, 26-year old John Jones, who was stuck in there in November of 2009. And Susie poured her heart out. With no hope of rescue and his heart having suffered hours upon hours of strain due to his downward position, John was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest shortly before midnight on the evening of November 25, 2009. Explorer Emily Vinton Maughen at the entrance of Nutty Putty Cave. But he knew what the cave could do. Then, its owners sealed the cave with Jones body inside to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again. John, look up at me, Ryan said. Next the crew would pull as hard as it could. Each trip into the tunnel to pass a piece of gear took nearly an hour. In 2009, John Jones, a 26-year-old medical student and experienced caver, arrives in Utah for the Thanksgiving weekend with his wife Emily and young daughter Lizzie. Rescuers ordered 6 gallons of vegetable oil to help slide John out. Editors note: This is Part 2 of the Nutty Putty rescue. Her new acquaintances typically tell her they remember hearing her story. He asked a lot of questions. But even once help came, John was still trapped 400 feet into the cave and 100 feet below the Earths surface. Still, she was absolutely sure he was going to be all right. It was their first time in Nutty Putty and a throwback to childhood family caving outings. Rescuers had spent 27 hours trying to save John. Theyre both irrepressible outdoors lovers, and now Susie gets an invitation when Josh gathers a group to go camping, mountain biking or kayaking. What did they mean, they couldnt get his body out? Patty Jo Engels is known for Nude Nuns with Big Guns (2010), Nerve (2011) and Cold Stone (2012). John loves the outdoors; he loves Utah; he loves wide open space, said Emily. He tried to exhale the air in his chest so that he could fit through a space that was barely 10 inches across and 18 inches high, about the size of the opening of a clothes dryer. He was stuck for over 25 hours, and because of the pressure his body was under and the position he was in, sadly couldn't be safely rescued. John Jones and his fellow spelunkers, including his brother Josh,had experience with caving, though this was John's first time at Nutty Putty. Shaun Roundy, one of the rescuers on the scene, explained the difficulties facing anyone, even experienced spelunkers, who went into Nutty Putty Cave. Instead, Brandon Kowallis, another member of Utah Cave Rescue whod just arrived at Nutty Putty Cave, crawled into the tunnel to take his place. Emily has since spoken out about the online abuse she's continued to face for moving on with her life. John was married to Emily, the couple had one child and his wife was pregnant with another baby. Motola introduced herself to John, even though all she could see of him was a pair of navy and black running shoes. Caver Dale Green discovered Nutty Putty in 1960 and named it after the clay he found in much of its 1,400 feet of chutes and tunnels. But as he talked, his voice grew more nasal, his breathing labored. The cave was named Nutty Putty because of the large . His conversation is overshadowed with flashbacks from when he first met Emily to them dating. I just know that hes still watching out for us, that our family is still a family.. Ryan tried to speak as reassuringly as he could with a tongue sliced nearly in half. Josh stayed with his brother until rescuers arrived. Where Utah high school and college football players signed after 2023 NFL draft, Utah man, 70, survives cougar attack while on a solo hike, Biden attacks news outlets for 'lies of conspiracy and malice', Retiring coal-fired power plants need a replacement. He lowered himself into the wider end of the crack, but it was too tight to work the rope all the way around John. Down in the cave, though, John didnt respond, Kowallis said. The families still talk and are friends. It breaks my heart how easily people focus on happiness in this earthly life instead of holding on and wait to be re-united.". Emily couldnt understand how they could know John was dead -- they hadnt found a pulse on his legs for hours. Housewife Betty thinks she can't be divorced by her rich lawyer husband Dan without her consent. The boys learned to love the underground depths and their dark beauty. But maybe it's more than that. The rope-and-pulley operation was no more, the rescuers had no other viable plans, and John was trapped. John, 26 at the time, and Josh, 23, along with nine other friends and family members, decided to explore Nutty Putty Cave as a way to connect with each other ahead of the holiday. State Senator John Valentine, a rescue worker with about 30 years' worthof experience, called the rescue "very agonizing." She is the mother of Lizzie (7) and John (6), as well as Emerson (2). The simple geometry looked impossible. I cant believe Im upside down, he said. Moving on wasnt easy. Jones had been descending head-first when he became pinned in place. It sucks; Im upside down. It had reopened just six months before John Jones had entered the cave. The human body is designed to walk upright, and the heart works with the force of gravity not against it. All John and Josh, both devout Mormons, could do at this point was pray. Fighting a black depression, he crawled back out of the hole, stopping every few minutes so he wouldnt vomit. However, despite it being over 10 years since John passed away, the mother has faced continuous online abuse on her Facebook page. His older brother was helpless in a dark hole. It worked to get Jones past the fishhook of the rock lip, causing some relief on the afternoon of Nov. 25. In the meantime, the team worked to solve the friction problem by rigging a pulley system anchored to the tunnels walls with a series of climbing cams anchors designed to fit quickly and tightly into rock. John was by then attending medical school in Virginia, where he lived. On Dec. 1, 2009 the countys bomb squad entered Nutty Putty to place explosive charges around the opening of the passageway in which Jones remained trapped. They were so close to John, but everything they tried had failed. John Edward Jones tragically died on 24 November 2009 whilst caving in Nutty Putty Cave in Utah, a hydrothermal cave. But he smiled. Emily approves because of John's enthusiasm and he and Josh go to explore the cave. He was born January 21, 1983 in Sandy, Utah. Thanksgiving dinner was an Ensure shake through a straw. John was exploring the cave alongside his brother, but got stuck in a narrow tunnel. Bonus episodes of the KSL podcast Cold are available through the subscription service Wondery Plus, along with the entire first season of Cold ad-free. Susie met two other rescuers and descended into the cave through a rocky hole on top of a large hill in the west desert. Donate to the newsroom now. "JOHN WAS BETTER ! With the use of ropes and pulleys, rescuers were able to move John out of his hellish upside downposition, but before long, the pulley system broke and John slid back into the crevice. You cant get someone down there before he dies.. Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content, 2022 LDS Living A Division of Deseret Book Company, 6 temple dresses + accessories Latter-day Saint women will love, 8 meaningful gifts for those who are grieving, 3 scripture stories that may inspire you to be a little more tree. John Edward Jones with his wife Emily before the Nutty Putty Cave incident that took his life. The rainbow headlamp bounced off. Why did you guys put me here? John replied. Unfortunately, John's position made it challenging forlarge equipment toget near him. His family thanked rescuers for their help even despite the horrible news. He notices that the injuries he sustained have disappeared. I didnt want to leave him, he said. Emily wanted to serve a church mission and had been called to Madagascar. Emily Jones-Sanchez is photographed with her husband, Donovan, and children, Lizzie, John and Emerson. But no one will ever go in the cave again. After becoming stuck in a hole 18 inches wide and 150 feet underground, rescue crews worked frantically and heroically to free him to get him home to his loving wife, Emily. Explorer Cami Pulham crawling out of the passage known as the Birth Canal in Nutty Putty Cave. John Jones, left, and his wife, Emily Dawn Jones. But as she tied a webbed rope into a Lovers Knot around his ankles, she realized bringing John out of the cave was going to be like swimming backward against a very strong current. only for your personal, non-commercial use. The plan was, rescuers thought, their last, best hope: John was beginning to lose touch with reality in the darkness. But despite the tragic ordeal unfolding over a decade ago, the mother of four has been subjected to horrific online trolling on her Facebook page. When rescuers told trauma physician Doug Murdock that John was nearly upside down, he knew the trapped man didnt have much time. Jacob Omer as Josh Jones, John's brother. John Edward Joness brother was the first to find him. Some time later, John suddenly awakens, and to his surprise, has the strength to push himself out of the hole. Read Part 2 here. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. The team pulled. With Christian Slater, Amanda Peet, Rachel Keller, Michael Rispoli. With each tug, he moved a little farther. The first rescuer to reach John was a woman named Susie Motola, who arrived at about 12:30 AM on November 25. Relationships go on after this life.". Alexis "Lexy" Johnson as Emily Jones, John's wife. (Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Crews work to rescue John Jones of Stansbury Park from the Nutty Putty Cave near Elberta in November of 2009. The fact that her husband, John Jones, died after getting trapped in a Utah cave in 2009 is not the first thing Emily Jones-Sanchez brings up when she meets new friends. There are very few studies about the long-term effects of being upside down, but Murdock thought John might have eight to 10 hours to live. The "equipment failure" was supposedly the result of a lack of rock integrity. As paramedics assessed the extent of the damage, Ryan told his father it was OK to go back into the tunnel -- someone had to stay with John. She read a friends blog about finding a blessing in terrible things. That relief evaporated when the rigging failed and Jones dropped back into the same trap from which hed been freed. Hes dying right now. The reason John Jones basically caused his own demise by pushing himself further and further in was because he mistakenly thought he was somewhere else that was leading to an open area where he could turn around. The team pulled, but didnt have enough power to move John: The friction of the rope rubbing stone was too strong. Its just that I know, Emily said. OK, John. It breaks my heart how easily people focus on happiness in this earthly life instead of holding on and wait to be re-united.". As he finds his way back to the entrance, he finds it deserted and realizes he has died and is now a spirit in the afterlife. John Edward Jones, the man who died inside Nutty Putty Cave in 2009. Then it was Dave who was stuck. He couldnt push himself up. But where was John? It stars Chadwick Hopson, Alexis Johnson, Landon Henneman, Jyllian Petrie, and Jacob Omer. But Johns feet hit the tunnels low ceiling. One user wrote: "I hope she does not read these comments and i hope none of u have to go through what she has in her life. Seeing his feet and seeing how swallowed he was by the rock, thats when I knew it was serious. Josh said. With fluids pooling dangerously in his head and lungs, the shock of the injury could kill him. A perception has persisted in some circles that Susan Powells husband, Josh Powell, might have managed to slip her body into the narrow subterranean passageway to the west of Utah Lake on Blowhole Hill. A soft-spoken man, Hodgson says he doesnt usually make a promise he cant keep. Eventually, Josh scrambled toward the exit of the cave to get help. We all were afraid that this movie would just be a sad story, Jones-Sanchez said. ", A third user said: "Just saw the movie of the story of John. Formerly popular with cavers and known for its narrow passageways, Nutty Putty has been closed to the public since 2009 following a fatal accident that year. Today Emily is married to Donovan Sanchez, with whom she had another child. Jones stopped responding to the rescue team late that night. Eventually, he had come home to Utah with his wife Emily and 13-months-old daughter for the Thanksgiving holiday and to share the good news that another baby is expected next June. Its never been hard to talk about John, she said. A tall, broad-shouldered man in his 50s with buzzed hair and a bristle-brush mustache introduced himself as one of the on-scene commanders. He drilled a second hole and pushed the pulley in. He was originally described to have been in an area called Bobs Push, which is just near the Birth Canal area both restricted physical features inside the cave that are challenging, Utah County Sheriffs Sgt. Officials will be closing Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking site in which the 26-year-old medical student became trapped and died. Despite some nasty comments, others have been quick to defend Emily and her family. He filled an area at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City with rose petals and shooed out all the other visitors, then played guitar and sang her a song hed written. I love you! One was, I dont know, maybe 6 or 7 hours long. It was November 24, 2009, a few days before Thanksgiving. I dont want to be on my head, John told Ryan when he arrived. Ryan said he knew John would still be with her. Having a film made about it. It wasnt just a job.. Hed crawled through the tunnel and seen John swallowed by the rock. The rescue team could not reach Johns body, either, so the cave was closed off and sealed around his body, where it is to this day a memorial for the father of two. I know youve been pushing so hard for so long. Some considered Nutty Putty a "beginner's cave,"but it had several narrow spaces where people had previously gotten stuck. Britain's Got Talent viewers believe they have found out the real identity of CGI cat Noodle, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson celebrate 35 years of marriage, Too Hot To Handle star Chloe Veitch comes out after hiding 'dirty little secret', Bride left upset on her wedding day as two guests show up in white, Mum and daughter constantly mistaken for sisters despite age gap, Mum prepares second meal for husband after he refuses to eat dinner she made, Woman admits she doesn't text male friends unless she's in group chat with her husband, Woman left torn after catching neighbour cheating on her husband of 10 years, Woman who hasn't shaved for years says her boyfriend loves her hairy body, Woman, 23, with 13-year-old daughter says she's not taken seriously as a parent. Now, he couldnt help them. A new movie set to release in Utah theaters on September 16 shares the heartbreaking story of Latter-day Saint father and husband John Edward Jones. Johns wife spent the night of Nov. 24 waiting by the phone expecting news that John was free. The Last Descent is a 2016 American biographical survival drama film co-written and directed by Isaac Halasima, and is his first feature-length film. Each persons grief is as unique and personal as their life, but weve compiled a few suggestions that we hope can help you as you comfort the ones you love. Maybe it's because as people learned more about the life of John Jones and his response to a life or death situation, they wanted to be better. In an interview with Deseret News, Emily spoke out against the online abuse and stuck up for her new marriage, noting it's 'never been hard to talk about John' to her second husband Donovan Sanchez. It comprises many rooms connected by small tunnels and narrow corridors. He left behind his wife, who was pregnant, and another child. It was a controlled-access location, but given theirexperience, Jones and his friends received permission from management to go spelunking. There she found a hive of more than 100 people talking, planning, and waiting amid ambulances, firetrucks and police SUVs. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. His physical injuries healed, and he returned to work in human resources at TechMediaNetwork in Ogden. John told Ryan about his wife, Emily, about their life together in Virginia, about their 1-year-old daughter, and his child on the way. Perhaps that's why it's not uncommon for stories about the tragic accident to suddenly appear on the most-read list online at DeseretNews.com from time to time, even seven years later. What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. John found no place big enough to turn his body around and leave the tunnel. When a second person got stuck at Nutty Putty less than a week later, state officials closed the cave. The first rescue person to arrive was a volunteer named Susie Motola. The next day, on Dec. 2, 2009, contractors poured concrete into the main opening of the cave. Susie knew what it was like to be alone in the darkness at Nutty Putty Cave. It usually does come up, she says. Millimeter by millimeter, she pushed her legs out behind her until she was free. Emily has recently spoken about the online harassment she and her family continue to face after continuing on with their lives following her husbands death. She knew she loved John as a 20-year-old Brigham Young University student, but marriage seemed like a lot of work, and not that much fun, she said with a smile. The two Boy Scouts had become trapped within a week of each other. John had been exploring the cave with his brother but got stuck in a narrow tunnel. Leon Jones worked his way out, but the story entered the pantheon of family lore. He would never see daylight again after stepping foot inside the cave. Nutty Putty Cave is a hydrothermal cave located west of Utah Lake in Utah County, Utah, United States. Computer files recovered from Powells digital devices by police and obtained by Cold through an open records request included a scanned copy of a postcard showing the interior of Timpanogos Cave National Monument in Utahs Wasatch Mountains. Back in the cave, each new pulley helped inch John out of his dark prison. John was back home to Utah on vacation with his family when they decided to go caving, also known as spelunking. In the years following Jones's death, researchers haveinitiatedefforts to better understand caving injuries and deaths to make spelunking safer. They couldnt put the rescuers in any more danger. John Jones Jones, 26, had grown up in Utah but was attending medical school at the University of Virginia in 2009 when he returned home with his pregnant wife and 14-month-old daughter for. During the evening of November 24, 2009, John Jones and a group of fellow cave explorers entered Nutty Putty Cave located near Salt Lake City, UT. Her new acquaintances typically tell her they remember hearing her story. After about 20 minutes, Ryan raised his voice to yell. For more information visit www.wondery.com/plus. One of those images showed the opening of Nutty Putty Cave. In a new bonus episode, the "Cold" podcast investigated that theory to determine if it was plausible. His life was in that cave, in that little crack.. He manages to alert Josh to his location, who then tries to pull John out himself but is unsuccessful. He thanks you for reading his content. But they were still able to retrieve a body for loved ones. They showed such care and concern for John, like he was their own family, said Johns fat her, Leon Jones. Emily talks with him for a minute before John seemingly dies. ", Horror Fans Rank Rotten Tomatoes's Best Horror Movies Of Each Year Since 1998. The wife of a man who died the 'worst possible death' has spoken out against the trolling her family have continued to receive 13 years on. While talking with Aaron again, they each realize they both served Latter Day Saints missions in Spanish speaking countries. AND POSTING ABOUT YOU., Another comment reads: "Is that John on ur profile picture? Shed had her chance to show she could serve as well as anyone, that she could help someone. When morning came on Nov. 25, 2009, Emily couldnt wait any more. It would be so much easier for you guys to get me out of here if I wasnt so fat.. The2016filmThe Last Descent retold Jones's story to the world at large. She could hear that his lungs were filling with fluid. On 24 November, 2009, John Edward Jones tragically passed away while exploring a hydrothermal cave in Utah known as 'Nutty Putty cave'. She arrived at approximately 12:30am - John had been trapped for about 3.5 hours. Then the world exploded in a blast of pain. Juliane Cunha The group entered the cave around 8 p.m. and explored a large chamber called the Big Slide before John and Josh broke off with two friends to find a challenge: a tight but navigable passage called the Birth Canal. When he dove into "Bob's Push," John went head first into the18" x 10"section, which officials later described as a"L-shaped pinpoint." She replayed the rescue step by step in her head, trying to find something crews could have done differently. He was tearing up, Emily remembered, which confused her. He realizes that man was always his son, and tearfully tells the infant to watch over his mother and sister. Shortly after he arrived, rescue crews got a set of heavy-duty air chisels and drills they would use to rebuild a pulley system designed to pull John out of the fissure. Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. In fact, Nutty Putty had been closed to public access for years after those earlier rescues. But those moments were why she became a caver. He still continued to date her, amid rising tensions between her and his family. Their second child was due in June. He is a composite character of the many workers who conversed with John during the attempted rescue. So instead, Johns younger brother, Josh Jones, called her. His wife, Emily Jones Sanchez, and their two children were left behind. As families, we know that we will be happy and that we will be together as a family again, with John.". But then John slid down into the passage even further, becoming trapped worse than before. He had to try to press forward. On 24 November, 2009, John Edward Jones tragically passed away while exploring a hydrothermal cave in Utah known as 'Nutty Putty cave'. Guide us as we work through this, Josh prayed, and worked his way free. As he talks to the baby, he realizes the baby is his soon to be born son. The rescuers had little room to move and very little grip with which to pull. He was 100 percent right on there with his religion. The first goal of the rescue teamwas to get John into a situation that would minimize strain onhis heart and lungs. Discovered in 1960 by Dale Green, he named it Nutty Putty because of the clay (the kind that likely caused that pulley to give out) found in most of the narrow tunnels in the underground structure. He found what he thought was the Birth Canal and inched his way into the narrow passage head first, moving forward using his hips, stomach, and fingers.
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