About an hour into the caving expedition, John Jones decided to find the Nutty Putty Cave formation known as the Birth Canal, which is a tight passage that spelunkers must crawl through carefully and in addition to being extremely narrow and slippery, it is also extremely perpendicular to the ground, meaning that the person needs to go headfirst towards gravity, the opposite of what the human body is meant to do. The heart attack was caused due to excessive strain on the heart because of his downward position. Because Jones' body couldn't be removed, the site is now considered a grave. Jon Jasper/jonjasper.comExplorer Cami Pulham crawling out of the passage known as the Birth Canal in Nutty Putty Cave. Officials closed Nutty Putty Cave in 2004 soon after the incidents with the Boy Scouts. His family thanked rescuers for their help even despite the horrible news. EVEN THO ITS BEEN OVER A DECADE AGO. 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 just really needed a dad. This is a feature film on the life and failed rescue of John Edward Jones that was released in 2016. [7] A large team of rescue workers came to his assistance but were unable to retrieve Jones using a sophisticated rope-and-pulley system after a pulley failed mid-extrication. John eventually died on the evening of November 25, 2009, stuck upside . A second tip suggesting the same arrived one day later. "That's why there are grottos of the National Speleological Society like ours all over the United States," says Paulson. The next day, on Dec. 2, 2009, contractors poured concrete into the main opening of the cave. At 26, John was in the prime of his life. Downey says that many of the volunteer rescuers were traumatized by the experience and some haven't entered a cave since. Utah County Sheriff's Office 9 of 15 Additionally, the caves popularity with the public led many of the rock surfaces in the cave to become excessively smooth, increasing the risk of slippage. Press J to jump to the feed. According to rescuers, John Jones could not have been saved because the angle at which he was stuck and the kind of cave he was in made it impossible to get him out. 3) John Edward Jones decides to explore the Nutty Putty Cave John was visiting his family for the holidays. At the time of his death, he was 6 feet tall and weighed over 200 pounds. It had been years since John was in any cave. "They put themselves in situations that they probably wouldn't have if they had just stopped and thought about it for a minute. That was really hard, but I still wasnt ready to date or admit that maybe I would be ready to get married some day.. One of the most exciting elements of the MLB offseason is the Arizona Fall League, which began its 30th season Monday. Jon Jasper/jonjasper.com Explorer Emily Vinton Maughen at the entrance of Nutty Putty Cave. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the. While the family started together, soon after the start John Jones and his brother Josh Jones went a little ahead, and they found themselves in a slightly narrower part of the cave, where John Jones broke off a little further and headed down the crevasse that was at a tapered angle from the rest of the cave system. "Traditionally, these types of caves are very complex and feature lots of domes and three-dimensional passages, which was true of Nutty Putty," says Paulson. 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). Jones had been descending head-first when he became pinned in place. In its heyday, as many as 25,000 people per year visited the cave. Additionally, Nutty Putty Cave was Johns first try at spelunking after several years, potentially causing some miscalculations that ended up costing him his life. John Edward Jones entered Nutty Putty Cave at around 8 p.m. local time on the evening of Nov. 24, 2009, a few days before Thanksgiving. John Jones, 26, set out to explore the Nutty Putty cave in Utah but ended up stuck in the cave, upside down, in a narrow passage for 27 hours but eventually died from suffocation and heart failure (source in the comments) . On November 24, 2009, a man named John Edward Jones (January 21, 1983 November 25, 2009) became stuck and subsequently died in the cave after being trapped inside for 28 hours. [4] It contains 1,400 feet (430m) of chutes and tunnels and, prior to closure, had been accessible via a narrow surface hole. Cave Haven reports that Jones was a married medical student with one child who was just looking for a bit of fun and family time that day. A film was created about the life of John Jones, called The Last Descent. Visitors to Nutty Putty today will only find a plaque dedicated to Jones and poured concrete sealing over the entrance. She moved into her own place but continued to struggle with what to do next. Concern mounted in 2005 after the tragic drowning deaths of four young Utahns in a nearby cave on "Y" Mountain. casey_h6 My worst nightmare. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. This is the passage that John Jones thought he had found when he got stuck. They found that using a pulley system to pull him free was the best plan. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Web On 24 November 2009 John Edward Jones tragically passed away while exploring a hydrothermal cave in Utah known as Nutty Putty cave. However, within minutes, he realized he was seriously stuck. Evander Holyfield Spouse: Who Is Candi Calvana Smith. He never made it past the entrance. Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water, US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction, Lesion removed from President Joe Bidens chest was common skin cancer, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murdering wife, son, Jury quick to find Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife, son, US Ambassador Cindy McCain appointed head of UN World Food Program, Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices, Top prospects to watch at this years Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately, the pulley system failed and Jones sank deeper into the hole. Yes, the Nutty Putty cave is closed, it was sealed off right after the death of John Jones who was trapped inside. She said she had several experiences that left her certain that John continued to exist, despite his death. I wonder why they didn't give him enough drugs to knock him out. I knew John was still out there. Leavitt has spent 29 years as a Boy Scout leader, and the cave was a favorite place of the young men ages 14 to 18. 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. Paulson mourns the death of Jones, but insists that caving is a very safe activity, especially when it's done with the right equipment and with an experienced guide. At the time of the Nutty Putty cave incident John Jones was attending medical school in Virginia and this 6 foot guy was in the prime of his life, no doubt, with a beautiful family and promising career ahead of him. The Nutty Putty cave has therefore been closed since the John Jones incident and a plaque has been put up at the sealed mouth of the cave in his memory. A survey conducted in 2003 was able to map 1,355 feet (413 meters) of cave to a depth of 145 feet (44 meters) from the surface. I read this like a year ago and I still think about him from time to time. And at six feet tall and 200 pounds, he wasnt the little kid he used to be. John Edward Jones died November 25 in a caving accident in Nutty Putty Cave, Utah County. Descubierta en 1960, Nutty Putty Cave en las afueras de Salt Lake City, Utah, era un favorito local entre las tropas de Boy Scouts y los estudiantes universitarios, y atraa a 5,000 visitantes al ao. 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. Found my old spelunking pictures. Now sealed up, Nutty Putty Cave serves as a natural memorial and gravesite to John Edward Jones. "The Last Descent" is a moving film about John and Emily's relationship and his attempted rescue from Nutty Putty in 2009. She has now been engaged to Donovan Sanchez. The two Boy Scouts had become trapped within a week of each other. A film about the tragedy titled The Last Descent was released on September 16, 2016. At least 100 rescue workers tried to free 26-year-old John Jones of Stansbury Park, Utah after Jones became stuck in a tiny section 150 feet below the surface in the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah . By midnight of the same day rescuers had started to arrive, and the person who was leading the rescue team, Susie Motola, reached out to John Jones in the cave soon after. Since Nutty Putty was such a popular cave, attracting thousands of visitors a year, it was perhaps inevitable that a few amateur cavers would get themselves into trouble. Jones died the next day. John Jones was a 26-year-old medical student who was. I just rolled over and woke my girlfriend up to tell her I loved her. Like Silly Putty, the clay would change from a solid to an elastic fluid when lightly squeezed. At 11:56 p.m. on the night before Thanksgiving, the search and rescue team determined Jones had died. He wanted to explore one of the narrowest tunnels of. While attempting to find the Birth Canal, Jones took a wrong turn and ended up in an unmapped section of the cave near Ed's Push. Today, Paulson is the Chair of the Timpanogos Grotto, the local branch of the National Speleological Society that once managed access to Nutty Putty, which was easily the "most popular cave" in the area, says Paulson. It is a tremendous blessing.. I was obviously devastated and I missed John and it was rough, but I felt full of faith. It was 8 p.m. on Wednesday, just a few days before Thanksgiving when they arrived at the cave site. He was actually beyond that in an unnamed, really unexplored part of the cave.. She noticed that she was happier and stronger, more certain that God had a plan for her life, the more she prayed and read her scriptures. She returned with Lizzie to their family apartment at Johns school in Virginia, but because it was student-family housing and there was no longer a student living there, they had to move. President Joe Biden's doctor said no further treatment was required for a skin lesion that was removed and found to be cancerous. In early 2009, proper management was established and an application process was developed to ensure safety precautions were being met. Officials sealed off Nutty Putty Cave for good a week after Johns death. At this point, John Jones was crawling head first into a cave that was essentially getting narrower and more perpendicular to the ground, which meant that there came a point where he was at an almost 90 degree angle in the cave, and it was so narrow that he was held between the columns of the cave. John Edward Joness brother was the first to find him. Ambassador Cindy McCain was been appointed head of the U.N. World Food Program, officials announced on Tuesday. She said she remembers thinking that she was sure there was something to learn from what happened. 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. Search and rescue personnel gather around the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave in southwest Utah County Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009, as they work to free John Jones, who became stuck in the cave overnight. The rope-and-pulley operation was no more, the rescuers had no other viable plans, and John was trapped. His head pointed downward at an angle of 70 to 80 degrees. John went into the cave on Nov. 24, 2009 with 10 other friends and family members on an excursion organized by his brother, Josh. John Edward Jones was born on the 21st of January of 1983. Halasima, a Utah native, only once went to Nutty Putty Cave. He had come back home to Utah to spend some relaxing holiday time with his family. He died after spending 27 hours in a small opening in the cave, unable to be extricated by rescuers. While exploring with his brother, Jones mistook a narrow tunnel for the similarly tight "Birth Canal" passageway and became stuck upside-down in an area measuring 10 by 18 inches (25 by 46 cm), around 400 feet (120 m) from the cave's entrance. Its a hydrothermal cave that was first explored by Dale Green. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. September 6 2022 742pm John Edward Jones was a 26-year-old young man who loved caving which involves exploring and studying natural underground. After this look at Nutty Putty Cave and the tragic death of John Edward Jones, read about some of the bodies of climbers left behind on Mount Everest, including those of Green Boots and George Mallory. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Dave Roos Members of Jones party worked their way back out of Nutty Putty to the top of Blowhole Hill, where they were able to use a cell phone to call for help. Shawn Roundy talks with the media Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009, as he and other search and rescue personnel worked to free John Jones, who got trapped in Nutty Putty Cave in southwest Utah County. They told us that John got stuck about 8:45 p.m. We got the notification sometime I believe just before 9:30, Cannon said. Richard Downey, the Grotto's treasurer and historian, led some of those same Boy Scout trips into Nutty Putty for decades. Jones family via Deseret NewsJohn Edward Jones, the man who died inside Nutty Putty Cave in 2009. That is why they could not even get his body out when he died. John Jones and the Nutty Putty Cave | The Scare Chamber John Jones and the Nutty Putty Cave For those who love to explore, spelunking is a favorite activity. 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. . Weighing only four pounds and standing at just seven inches tall, this Yorkshire Terrier backpacked her way through the jungle terrain of New Guinea with the American soldier who found her. Just shoot me if I was him. John Jones got stuck in the cave likely because he sucked in his chest to investigate the fissure he was crawling through and he slid his torso over a lip of rock and down into the 10-inch-wide side of the crevice. They even brought his wife in to say her good byes. At roughly 8 pm, the group stepped into the cave's narrow entrance and began exploring. For Leavitt and the surrounding community, the cave itself was another loss. I believe it was about 30 yards that poured down into the main opening to give it as permanent of closure as you could get for it.. I felt like Heavenly Father is going to take care of us and its going to be OK.. An unidentified rescue worker, works near John Jones in the Nutty Putty Cave, Wednesday Nov. 25, 2009. The movie is available on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend watching while its there. Downey remembers getting a phone call at 1 or 2 a.m. "I was the Grotto secretary and I had all of the contact information for the local caving community," says Downey. This is the passage that John Jones thought he had found when he got stuck. When John realized that it was too narrow for him to turn back he decided to go a little forward because he felt that the chamber in front of him was a drop to a more open space where he would ideally have enough space to maneuver and turn back around, so he could head on up again. She remains close with the family, including Johns siblings, who still call and check on her and ensure her family can make it to the annual Jones family reunion. Web It was at BYU that John met his sweetheart Emily Dawn Petersen and they were married in 2006. Dale Green was the first to investigate it in 1960. (Photo: Jones family). This was also why the cave was closed in 2006 and only reopened in 2009. A memorial plaque to John was placed near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. In fact, the popularity had resulted in the cave getting over 25,000 visitors per year at its peak. Web John Jones was an average 26 year old married guy who went caving in the Nutty Putty cave in Utah on November 24th 2009 with his family and friends but tragically. U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. John was at the Nutty Putty cave with his brother and nine other friends and family members. It reminds her of all that she has been given. John Jones felt in this part of the cave that he would perhaps not be able to move forward unless he sucked his chest in a bit, or perhaps he did it instinctively, it is not known, but rescuers believe that his sucking his chest in at this point was the reason he went farther than he could have had he not done so, and right after that, when his chest expanded again because of his natural breathing rhythm, he got stuck. John. He is still there. "A lot of the people going to Nutty Putty were first-timers, or they were on a date with their girlfriend and wanted to show off or whatever," says Downey. Not even after his death did the authorities manage to remove his body. To save his life. John hadn't gone cave diving in quite awhile, so he never should've received a permit to even go down into the cave. Officials announced Friday afternoon that the cave will. The rescuers worked through Tuesday night and into the day on Wednesday attempting to free Jones. Roundy replays the rescue over and over in his head, even years after the incident. (Photo: West Valley City, Utah police), The back side of the postcard, which was also scanned, included a note in Josh Powells handwriting that read Nutty Putty Caves in Eureka (south of Spanish Fork). Back in 2004, two Boy Scouts had nearly lost their lives in separate incidents in the same area of Nutty Putty Cave where John became trapped. Rescuers installed a system of 15 pulleys to try and free Jones, but the clay walls of the cave couldn't bear the weight. John was back home to Utah on vacation with his family when they decided to go caving, also known as spelunking. I guess at least he was in contact with people. Spencer Cannon said. All I ever wanted, all I ever dreamed of, everything I hoped and everything I prayed for, couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given; I've been given what I need, she said, paraphrasing from Michael McLeans "The Forgotten Carols.". I never would want bad things to happen, but in retrospect, were given what we need. 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. They actually fed him through an IV to keep him conscious. John Jones died after being trapped in the cave. MUCH PRAYERS TO HIS FAMILY. Rescuers had spent 27 hours trying to save John. One rescuer was badly injured when a pulley ripped free and struck him in the face. The body of John Jones is also still inside the Nutty putty cave because the operation that would have been required to get his body would likely have endangered even more people, and therefore led to more injuries or even deaths, which is why the decision was taken to seal off the cave with him inside. At that point, John had been trapped for three and a half hours. John Jones died in Nutty Putty Cave Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. John left behind his. John, 26 at the time, and Josh, 23, and nine other friends and family members decided to explore Nutty Putty Cave to communicate before their holiday. How was life like 4 years ago while you made this comment bro? There came a point where it did seem like the pulley system they were using was about to work, and as they pulled John through the pulley it did seem like he moved a bit, but then his feet hit the ceiling above them as his body moved upward leading to the horrific realization that if they were to get him out, they would have to bend his legs in a way that would break them, and in doing so there would be a shock to his body that would likely either kill him or make any rescue even more impossible. The Nutty Putty Cave, where John Edward Jones spent the last nearly 28 hours of his life, will also be his final resting place. Rescuers concluded that it would be too dangerous to attempt to retrieve his body; the landowner and Jones' family came to an agreement that the cave would be permanently closed with the body sealed inside, as a memorial to Jones. Jones ultimately suffered cardiac arrest due to the strain placed upon his body over several hours by his inverted, compressed position. John Jones died in Nutty Putty Cave Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. They were coming to announce that they were expecting their second child. In 2009, John Jones became stuck while exploring the Nutty Putty Cave near Elberta and died before rescuers could free him. It was such a devastating Thanksgiving, because everyone told me: You dont have to figure everything out, give yourself a year, and it was the next year and I had nothing figured out, she said. John Edward Jones visited Nutty Putty Cave with his brother Josh and 11 others on Nov. 24, 2009, only months after the cave was reopened. After Susie, more than 100 rescuers arrived over the next 24 hours to try to get John out. Save me for my wife and kids, John said. That said, its also one of the many caves that are slippery and very dangerous. Because the cave was formed upward because of superheated water forming limestone, many additional minerals make up the complex structure. Many of the passages in this cave are this narrow or even narrower. Its hard to be alone, its so hard to be lonely, and its hard to be a single parent, and its hard to be just sort of lost.. Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox. Why Utahs Nutty Putty Cave Is Sealed Up With One Spelunker Inside. The most recognizable characteristic of the cave was the strangely viscous clay oozing from some of its walls, which the cave's first explorer, a man named Dale Green, compared to Nutty Putty, the original product name for Silly Putty. At 28 hours upside down in the Nutty Putty Cave, rescuers attempted one last pull using a series of complex pulleys. John Edward Jones was the last man to explore the Nutty Putty Cave. Like I told her I'd rather die TRYING than die in that tunnel so squeezed up! The tight, cramped and confined space is shown with rescue gear attached to the ceiling, near John Jones in the Nutty Putty Cave, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. She said she feels blessed to have her children, to have found Donovan, to have learned all that she has learned. (Photo: Dave Cawley, KSL Newsradio). Look at the picture on the bottom right and imagine it for a moment. Nutty Putty Cave Accident Victim S Widow I Know There Is Life After Death Deseret News 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. The cave had only been reopened for six months in 2009 when John and his family entered. U.S. His body was deemed unrecoverable and the cave will be sealed off. He was just 12 years old and "grossly underprepared," but he nervously followed his troop down into the cave mouth and crawled on his belly through a narrow, muddy canal into a larger downward shaft called the Big Slide. At age 26, John was in the prime of his life. "Nutty Putty Cave Before and After the 2009 Tragedy" He was married, had a one-year-old daughter, and was attending medical school in Virginia.