John had been trapped nearly upside down for 12 hours. The cave rescue was supposed to be something she could do. She's wrong. Their second child was due in June. The two talked about their missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spoke Spanish together -- Ryan had served a Spanish-speaking mission in Texas, John in Ecuador. He wrapped his feet around Johns calves and pulled. These Western states may have the answer, Utah golf: Tony Finau win No. But she couldnt imagine anything good coming from Johns death. Time slips by strangely underground, and Susie had only a vague notion of its passing. John and Josh, with two others, broke off from the rest of the group in Nutty Putty to find the "Birth Canal," a challenging, tight section ofthe cave's passages. When the pulley system was ?nished, it was 4 p.m. on Nov. 25, and John had been trapped for 19 hours. Thet rip, after all, had been his idea. Her new acquaintances typically tell her they remember hearing her story. "Ever since the very beginning, ever since I first met Donovan, hes been really comfortable with John continuing to be a part of our family and our lives, especially because of our kids. She replayed the rescue step by step in her head, trying to find something crews could have done differently. How are you doing?. 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. So they agreed. In 2009, John Jones explored an unmapped section of the famous Nutty Putty Cave. John Edward Jones was born on January 21, 1983, and was a Utah native. About an hour into the caving expedition, John decided to find the Nutty Putty Cave formation known as the Birth Canal, a tight passage that spelunkers must crawl through carefully if they dare. 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. Thanksgiving dinner was an Ensure shake through a straw. Ryans father, Dave Shurtz, was also working the haul line. 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. The story of the Nutty Putty cave and its final caver So he kept going , likely thinking he was in the Canal. Jon Jasper/jonjasper.com Explorer Kory Kowallis in the crawl to the aptly named Scout Trap passage in Nutty Putty Cave. John loves the outdoors; he loves Utah; he loves wide open space, said Emily. He had to try to press forward. In a new bonus episode, the "Cold" podcast investigated that theory to determine if it was plausible. 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. In the weeks after John died, Susie couldnt forget the time she spent trying to save his life. They sang the hymn How Firm a Foundation., Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, For I am thy God and will still give thee aid; Ill strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.. They are picked up by John's brother Josh, who tells him that the Nutty Putty Cave has been opened after having been closed before. He never woke up. John Edward Jones, stuck and died in the Nutty Putty Cave Wife of man who died the 'worst possible death' still trolled 13 years on Authorities creditedJohn's kind and caring family with helping the rescuers, as they experienced the emotional roller coaster of the experience. The first rescue person to arrive was a volunteer named Susie Motola. Though hed escaped with cuts and bruises and stitches on his tongue, his upper lip swelled so much that it drooped over his chin. The Story Of John Jones Cave (A Full Account) | OptimistMinds John went in headfirst, pushing himself along with his hips, his stomach, his fingers. John Edward Jones, 26, will have his final resting place in the Nutty Putty Cave, as members of the Utah County Sherriff's office announced there will be no more rescue efforts due to the dangers of the cave. He is a composite character of the many workers who conversed with John during the attempted rescue. And the team had grown close to both the trapped man and his family. My legs are killing me.. You cant get someone down there before he dies.. John Jones died in Nutty Putty Cave Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. They initially created the pulley system using climbing cams, but the anchors couldnt get a strong grip in the layer of powdery calcite that coated the caves walls. Just wondering, when you die and go to heaven, who will you be with? His calves were free but useless. "Dirty John" No Fault (TV Episode 2020) - IMDb 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. Otherwise, hed be so disappointed when he met me again if I just stopped living when he died., Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Their father had once gotten briefly stuck between two rocks when they were children. Landon Henneman as Aaron, a veteran rescue worker who is distraught over past rescues that have ended tragically. Nutty Putty Cave is a hydrothermal cave located west of Utah Lake in Utah County, Utah, United States. Getting people, equipment, and supplies down that far took an hour. Explorer Emily Vinton Maughen at the entrance of Nutty Putty Cave. John grew up and went to school in St. George, Utah, where he graduated from Dixie High School in 2001. The "equipment failure" was supposedly the result of a lack of rock integrity. . Hi, Susie, thanks for coming, but I really, really want to get out, said 26-year-old John Jones. In the wake of Jones death, the Utah County Sheriff floated the idea of permanently sealing the cave. He wore a rainbow-colored, 1970s-style caving headlamp his father had bought for the family trips of his childhood. On 24 November, 2009, John Edward Jones tragically passed away while exploring a hydrothermal cave in Utah known as 'Nutty Putty cave'. As scary and depressing as he felt Johns predicament was, he had a job to do. Closest to John, the rope went through a natural arch in the wall just above the crack where he was trapped. It had only reopened under an online reservation system managed by a local caving organization in early 2009. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a The answer is beautiful and profound. At 11:56 p.m. on the night before Thanksgiving, the search and rescue team determined Jones had died. He approached Emily. But its no use second-guessing things. They showed such care and concern for John, like he was their own family, said Johns fat her, Leon Jones. It took crews 14 hours to free him, and the teen spent three days in a hospital afterward. 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. When the new system -- drilled into the rock -- was finished, the team would inch John up. 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 Thanksgiving. John Jones smiles at his wedding in 2006, at age 23. Mark Webb as Sheriff Hodgson, the leader in the rescuing effort. A medical student with awife and 2-year-old daughter, Jones was exploring the cave when he suddenly found himself stuck in an almost unreachable crevice 150 feet underground, hanging upside down. Its not that I believe because its the only thing that gets me through. Mason D. Davis as Man in Dark, a hallucination John has seen over the course of his life. "I think when people come away from this movie they will have a greater desire to love people, to love their family, to love better, to be kinder, to be a better person, and to cherish every minute they have with their loved ones," Emily says. John Edward Jones tragically died on 24 November 2009 whilst caving in 'Nutty Putty Cave' in Utah, a hydrothermal cave. Life goes on. [1] Discovery and exploration [ edit] 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. Now, he couldnt help them. Moving on wasnt easy. But Hodgson, one of the onscene commanders, was focused on his earlier promise to the Jones family that rescuers would bring John out of the darkness. Jon Jasper/jonjasper.comExplorer Cami Pulham crawling out of the passage known as the Birth Canal in Nutty Putty Cave. ", Horror Fans Rank Rotten Tomatoes's Best Horror Movies Of Each Year Since 1998. Just wondering, when you die and go to heaven, who will you be with? He brought a water pouch filled with Gatorade and stretched the attached tube down to John so he could drink. Emily took the ring, then gave it back. He left behind his wife, who was pregnant, and another child. Ryan would then try to shift John from the 8 1/2 inch wide side of the crevice where he was stuck, moving him to the slightly wider side of the fissure. Nutty Putty Cave accident victim's widow: 'I know there is life after Nutty Putty Cave Tragedy Still Discussed In Training 10 Years Later But as Josh wound through the tunnel, crab-crawling feet first between the cramped, muddy walls, he felt a creeping apprehension. 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. The two talked, prayed, and sang hymns until help was on the way. She could hear that his lungs were filling with fluid. They couldnt put the rescuers in any more danger. She missed the Jones family telling the rescuers they didnt blame them for Johns death. When rescuers told trauma physician Doug Murdock that John was nearly upside down, he knew the trapped man didnt have much time. At sixfeet tall and weighing180 pounds, John got wedgedintoa situation where his head was below his feet, causing the blood to rush to his upper torso and head. What's behind shortages of Adderall, Ozempic and other meds? Save me for my wife and kids, John said. Then his feet hit the low ceiling. Ryan Shurtz usually feels at home underground. With widow's blessing, Utah filmmaker revisits Nutty Putty Cave tragedy I knew I couldnt do anything to help, but I really wanted to give him a hug when he got out, Emily said. Is John Jones still in Nutty Putty Cave? - TimesMojo Susie knew what it was like to be alone in the darkness at Nutty Putty Cave. having a film made about it. His body was in bent position, and there was a lip of rock that "basically captured the center part of his body. Crews would seal it with concrete at its main entrance, both to give the family peace and to prevent another injury. Jones stopped responding to the rescue team late that night. She couldnt fully extend her arms and legs, but she was confident. He has a heartbeat, but hes had difficulty breathing before I got there. It was November 24, 2009, a few days before Thanksgiving. It worked temporarily, and after his head raised slightlyvia the ropes and pulleys, rescuers were able to give him anIV,food, and water; they were hopefulthe worst was over,asthey considered their next move. Theyd been through rescues where, despite all efforts, the victim died. Aaron manages to calm him down, but not before John injures himself. The rescuers invested 3,700 cumulativehours of effort, and stood sidebyside with the family throughout the ordeal. But it didnt seem to have mattered. Ryan was one of about two dozen rescuers who went to Johns funeral. It breaks my heart how easily people focus on happiness in this earthly life instead of holding on and wait to be re-united.". 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. The water flowed down his arm, and Susie hoped some of it might reach his mouth. Officials closed Nutty Putty Cave in 2004 soon after the incidents with the Boy Scouts.