The final words of John Jones, 26, who suffered a harrowing death after becoming trapped in Utah’s notorious Nutty Putty Cave in November 2009, have been revealed.
Jones, a medical student and experienced explorer, died after being stuck for more than 24 hours in the cave. He had ventured into the tight “Birth Canal” passage with friends and relatives but took a wrong turn, becoming wedged head-first in a narrow tunnel just 10 inches by 18 inches.
Trapped in the crevice and unable to turn or move backward, the 6-foot-tall father endured over 27 hours of claustrophobic agony. His brother Josh could only watch helplessly as rescue efforts repeatedly failed. Attempts to free him accidentally pushed him deeper into the narrow space. Jones eventually went into cardiac arrest and died, leading some to describe it as the “worst death imaginable.”
One of the rescuers, Susie Motola, recalled Jones’s initial optimism when she arrived. He greeted her with: “Hi Susie, thanks for coming, but I really, really want to get out.” However, as time passed and the situation worsened, Jones expressed his chilling realization: “I’m going to die right here. I’m not going to come out of here, am I?”
More than 100 responders tried to free him, even attaching a rope in a desperate attempt to pull him out. Despite his suffering, Jones expressed concern for a volunteer who had been injured during the rescue attempt, asking: “Is he OK? I think he’s really hurt bad.”
His condition deteriorated rapidly after that, and he was soon pronounced dead. Rescuers were unable to retrieve his body, forcing authorities to seal the cave with Jones’s remains still inside. A memorial was later placed at the site to warn future explorers of its dangers.
In 2016, Jones’s story was dramatized in the film The Last Descent. He left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. Emily, who was pregnant at the time of the accident, gave birth to a son the following year and named him after his father.
