John Edward Jones, a 26-year-old medical student and experienced caver, died a horrific death after becoming trapped upside down in a narrow passageway in Nutty Putty Cave, Utah, in 2009. The father of one was exploring the cave with friends during a Thanksgiving visit to family when he mistakenly entered an unmapped area called Ed's Push, which led to a dead end. He crawled headfirst into a passage just 10 inches wide and 18 inches high, and soon found himself stuck, unable to turn around or move backwards.
His brother Josh was the first to find him and tried to pull him free by his calves, but John slid further down, trapping his arms under his chest. Josh left to call for help. Cave explorer Brandon Kowallis, who assisted in the rescue, later wrote a detailed account. He said John spoke of seeing angels and demons around him and made a deep, gurgling breathing sound as his lungs filled with fluid. Kowallis noted that John's feet kicked frantically before he appeared to lose consciousness.
Rescuers attempted to chip away at the rock with a jackhammer, but it sank into sand. A paramedic checked John's temperature, which was below the measurable range, and his legs had become stiff. He was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest. The cave entrance was later boarded up and sealed with concrete, leaving John's body inside. He was survived by his wife Emily, their baby daughter Lizzie, and an unborn second child.
