In 2009, the day before Thanksgiving, I received a call to assist in the Nutty Putty Cave rescue operation for John Edward Jones. As events unfolded, I became the last person to see John alive, although he was largely unconscious by the time I reached him. Since this tragic event, I’ve faced numerous inquiries from reporters and individuals, and recently, these requests have surged due to viral videos circulating online. This article serves to provide accurate information and address the questions within my capacity to answer regarding the Nutty Putty Cave incident and the John Jones rescue.
The day after the unsuccessful rescue attempts, while the details were still vivid, I documented my personal perspective of the rescue. It’s important to remember that this is just one viewpoint from someone who joined the scene as the rescue efforts were nearing their conclusion.
For a more comprehensive understanding, I recommend reading Lindsay Whitehurst’s two-part article in the Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake Tribune Article
WARNING: This account contains descriptions of John Jones’s condition, his passing, and post-mortem circumstances that some readers might find disturbing. In honoring John and his family, I have aimed to maintain respectful generality while detailing the serious challenges we faced during the Nutty Putty Cave rescue of John Jones.
Nutty Putty Rescue Report
Written for SAR on November 25, 2009
I received the initial call around 9:00 or 10:00 AM from Spencer Christian and Rodney Mulder, informing me of an ongoing rescue at Nutty Putty Cave. They inquired about my availability to assist, but after a few questions, it seemed there was already a sufficient number of personnel on-site to manage the rescue. I informed Spencer and Rodney that should the situation prolong, and if they were in dire need of additional manpower, particularly smaller cavers, I would be available.
Approximately five hours later, Spencer contacted me again, requesting my presence. He indicated that the team was tiring and there was a real need for smaller cavers. Consequently, I left work around 4:00 PM, quickly stopped home to collect my caving equipment, and then proceeded to Nutty Putty Cave. I arrived at approximately 6:00 PM and was assigned to the next group entering the cave around 6:30 PM.
Upon reaching the main passage at the entrance of the Birth Canal, I observed teams working on a 4 to 1 haul system that had been set up. I assisted for about five minutes, until it became clear that the system was ineffective (1), and the team attending to John Jones, the trapped individual, needed relief. The cavers who had been working with John then exited the passage.
During their exit, I spoke with Andy Armstrong. I inquired about John’s condition, and Andy reported that John was deteriorating rapidly. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and had begun to hallucinate, mentioning seeing angels and demons.
Immediately after they exited, it was decided that I would proceed first to assess the situation and explore potential extraction strategies. Debbie would follow to engage with John, as she had already established a rapport with him and it was thought he might be more comfortable with her presence.
I entered the passage first. Just before reaching John’s location in the rear passage, there’s an extremely narrow crawl space, roughly 18 inches wide and 8 to 10 inches tall, with a sharp 90 to 120-degree turn that must be navigated feet first. Careful maneuvering is essential, and visibility of foot placement is lost until past the restriction. As I carefully worked my way in, my feet contacted something soft – John’s feet. I felt movement, immediately lifted my feet, and shifted horizontally into the fissure.
John’s feet were about six feet beyond the constriction. I managed to position myself beside him and descended into the four-foot-wide fissure. After securing myself by wedging into a narrower section of the crack, I began speaking to John, introducing myself and asking about his condition. There was no response. I adjusted my position slightly and tapped his leg. I could hear deep, gurgling breaths, as if his lungs were filling with fluid. Then, his feet shifted as if attempting to dislodge his legs from the entrapment. The kicking appeared frantic but ceased quickly, and he seemed to lapse back into unconsciousness. (2) I continued to tap his legs and hip, trying to elicit a response, but there was none.
From this vantage point, I spent several minutes analyzing the passage, John’s positioning, and the existing rigging to determine possible extraction methods. The outlook was grim. I questioned the feasibility of moving him further. Continuing with the current rigging seemed limited; he could only be lifted another foot or two given the webbing’s anchor around his knees. Beyond that, his feet would hit the ceiling. Once at the ceiling, tilting him horizontally was impossible in his unconscious state. Even if we could achieve a horizontal position, he would still need to navigate the most constricted parts of the passage where he was trapped. If he were conscious and at full strength, there might have been a slight chance, but even then, it seemed unlikely. Even for me, at 125 pounds, exiting was challenging. At the restricted bend, I had to contort my body to squeeze through. Extracting a 210-pound unconscious person appeared nearly impossible. The alternative I considered was using a jackhammer to widen the crack and remove some rock, effectively widening the tightest point, and then pulling him straight out. This approach would likely result in severe abrasions and potential fractures, but if all else failed, it seemed like the most viable option for the Nutty Putty Cave rescue of John Jones.
Between my exit and Debbie taking my place, there was a request to bring a radio to John so his family could speak to him. I believe his father, mother, and wife spoke to him, expressing their love, prayers, and a father’s blessing. His wife conveyed a sense of peace, expressing that everything would be alright. This conversation lasted about 5 to 10 minutes before I indicated we needed to resume extraction efforts.
At this point, I crawled out to allow Debbie to assess the situation, but upon reaching the tight hole, she experienced leg cramps and couldn’t proceed. It was then that I decided to attempt using the jackhammer. We waited for its arrival, and I carried it to John’s location. The tool was much heavier than anticipated, and maintaining its position while wedged in the crack was extremely taxing. Even so, achieving a good angle on the rock was difficult due to the confined space and my limited mobility. I made three attempts on a small lip of rock just below John’s foot, but the jackhammer kept sinking into the sand at the side of the rock lip because of the angle. Shifting my position didn’t improve things; everywhere else I tried, the jackhammer’s length, about 3 to 4 feet, was unmanageable in the roughly 2.5 feet of space available between me and the rock to be drilled. Holding it in such an awkward position was quickly exhausting.
I then requested a smaller tool, but none seemed available. Even if there had been, I doubted a smaller hammer drill would be effective against the solid limestone. We retreated to the Birth Canal area for a quick meeting to decide our next course of action for the Nutty Putty Cave rescue.
By this time, it seemed the drills were malfunctioning, and the only drilling option was a compressed air hammer. It took about an hour to get the hose down for its use. While waiting, we considered widening the hole from above, working towards John rather than away from him. Once the drill arrived, Debbie, Max, and I spent about 1.5 hours chipping at the passage, a few feet above the tight spot – about 7 to 9 feet away from John. Softer rock yielded relatively easily, but harder formations required immense effort. The main problem was the limited space, making it hard to hit the rock at an effective angle. Instead of chipping off knobs, we often ended up drilling straight into the floor.
After 1.5 hours, we had only removed about an 18” x 4” section of rock from the ceiling and floor at a wider section of the passage. Beyond this point, the cave narrowed further. Lying in the passage, even someone my size (125 pounds) only had about 3 to 6 inches of space above. This was hardly ideal for operating a jackhammer or achieving an effective angle. To continue this process, or even if we switched to micro-blasters, I estimated it would take 3 to 7 days to reach John’s location. We regrouped again to decide the next plan of action for the John Jones Nutty Putty Cave rescue.
It was nearing midnight when we were asked to check John’s vitals. A smaller paramedic was sent in to see if he could reach John. If not, he instructed me on using the stethoscope and thermometer and where to check for a pulse. It was 11:30 PM when we left the group at the Birth Canal and proceeded down the passage. It took about 15 minutes to reach John. I went first, in case the paramedic couldn’t fit. I first used the stethoscope, managing to get it about 3 inches up and to the right of his navel. I didn’t hear a distinct heartbeat, only rustling, fluttering sounds, likely from my own shaking as I tried to steady myself in the awkward position. Then, I wedged my hand between the rock and pressed as far up his torso as possible to feel for breathing. I didn’t think I felt anything, but again, it was hard to tell as I was shaking. His chest, pressed against the rock, felt warmer and sweaty, but the rest of his body was close to the cave wall temperature. I removed his shoe to check his temperature. The thermometer showed nothing, indicating it was below its measurement range, as the paramedic had explained. As I removed his shoes and moved his feet, I noticed significant stiffness in his feet and legs compared to earlier. It was difficult to move his leg more than a few inches.
I reported my findings to the paramedic above and crawled out so he could try to reach John. He managed to get close enough to feel John’s feet and confirmed he had passed away. John Edward Jones was pronounced dead at 11:52 PM, I believe.
At that point, we decided to return to the surface for a debriefing to discuss our next steps. As everyone else exited, the paramedic and I went back in to photograph the passage and John’s position, documenting the scene of the Nutty Putty Cave John Jones incident.
With John deceased, body recovery would be exponentially more challenging. His body stiffening would prevent navigating the tight bend above his feet without significant passage alteration, which could take days or weeks with a hammer drill, possibly faster with micro-blasters. Any swelling would further impede extraction from the crack until reduced. There was no way to secure him with ropes except at his feet. After a few days, hazmat suits and masks would be necessary for handling the body, severely limiting rescuer mobility and work time. In regular clothing, rescuers typically sweat profusely within 10-15 minutes and can work for about 30 minutes to an hour before needing a break. In hazmat suits, work durations would be drastically reduced to 5-10 minutes, further complicating the already grim body recovery prospect. (3)
Commentary
- The 4 to 1 haul system failed due to the numerous twists and turns in the cave between the spacious hauling area and John’s location. The friction, even with pulleys, rendered the system ineffective.
- This was the moment of John Jones’ passing in Nutty Putty Cave.
- Ultimately, the decision was made that attempting to remove the body posed excessive risk to rescuers. Nutty Putty Cave remains the final resting place of John Jones, a poignant end to the Nutty Putty Cave John Jones incident.
Below is a rescue map I compiled post-rescue. Jon Jasper, Spencer Christian, Chuck Acklin, and I mapped the cave in 2003, surveying the passage where John Jones was trapped. I utilized this survey data to create two profile views illustrating his entrapment location and position. I have also included rescue photos to give a visual context of the area.
Nutty Putty Cave Rescue Map Detail
Photos from the Rescue
Rescue Staging Area at Nutty Putty Cave Entrance
Tight Passage in Nutty Putty Cave near John Jones' Location
Confined Space Above John Jones in Nutty Putty Cave
Paramedic's Feet Near John Jones' Location in Nutty Putty Cave
Map
Here is the complete map of Nutty Putty Cave, drafted in 2003. John Jones was trapped not in the Birth Canal itself, but in the Ed’s Push area, reached via the Birth Canal. High-resolution PDF versions are available for personal use: Cave Maps
Complete Nutty Putty Cave Map
Animation of the Area Where John is Stuck
An animator collaborated to create a scale model of the section of Nutty Putty Cave where John was trapped. While not as precise as a lidar scan, it is the most accurate representation available, utilizing our survey data. Some areas may appear wider than reality, but it offers the best visual understanding of the entrapment site.
The Nutty Putty Entrance Today
This short video, filmed recently, shows the current entrance to Nutty Putty Cave:
Recent Salt Lake Tribune Short
The Salt Lake Tribune recently interviewed me about the Nutty Putty Cave incident. The accompanying article, “15 years after a man died in the Nutty Putty Cave, his family and rescuers still struggle to escape the darkness,” can be found here: Salt Lake Tribune Article on Nutty Putty Cave Accident.
Tight Squeezes
To illustrate the nature of tight cave passages, here are two videos filmed during a survey of a Utah desert cave. The first shows Mitch attempting a tight downward squeeze, and the second shows me exiting a narrow passage I explored. It dead-ended about 12 feet down. For many, such passages are nightmarish, but for experienced cavers, they are routine and even enjoyable.
Comment about Comments Below
I deeply appreciate the kind and encouraging comments, and your questions. Due to family and work commitments, along with my caving, climbing, and other activities, I have limited time to respond to extensive questions as of 9/27/24. Please review existing comments before asking new questions, focusing on those not previously asked and not speculative or about events before my arrival. All family-friendly comments will be approved, though it may take about a week.
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