WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Trapped headfirst in a tiny cave cul-de-sac, Edward Jones battled bravely to free himself but ultimately perished in one of the worst deaths imaginable
A cave diver who died horrifically after getting wedged in a tiny passage made “gurling breaths” to his family as he perished. John Edward Jones, 26, a medical student and seasoned caver (a hobbyist cave explorer), embarked on an underground adventure with mates while visiting family in Utah over Thanksgiving in 2009.
On 24 November, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a well-liked caving spot renowned for its tight corners, twists, and cramped spaces. John tried to locate the feature known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical shaft.
However, the father-of-one made a tragic error in mistakenly entering an uncharted area named Ed’s Push and falling into a dead-end tunnel. He went in head-first, inching forward with his hips, stomach, and fingertips.
However, within moments, he realised he was stuck, with no space to turn around or back out, reports the Mirror. His only choice was to press on, expelling air from his lungs to squeeze through the “L-shaped pinpoint” measuring just 10 inches wide and 18 inches tall.
John’s brother Josh was the first to find him, attempting to pull him free by his lower legs but to no avail. In a chilling twist of fate, John then slid further down into the passage, becoming lodged with his arms pinned beneath his chest.
Josh had no option but to leave his brother behind and navigate his way out of the cave system, where he raised the alarm. Cave explorer and YouTuber Brandon Kowallis was brought in to help with the rescue operation and became the final person to see John while he was still alive.
Following their unsuccessful attempts the next day, he penned a haunting account of their desperate rescue efforts. He revealed that John “had started talking about seeing angels and demons around him”.
Brandon wrote: “John’s feet were about 6 feet past the constriction and I was able to shift myself to the side of him and down the 4 foot wide fissure.
“After stabilising myself by jamming my body into a narrower section of the crack I began speaking to John asking him how he was and introducing myself.
“There was no response. I shifted my position a little and tapped him on the leg. I could hear him breathing a deep gurgling breath, as though his lungs were filling with fluid.
“Then his feet shifted as though he were trying to maneuver his legs out of the crack he was jammed in. The kicking looked fairly frantic and after a second he stopped and it looked as though he had drifted into unconsciousness.
“I continued tapping him on the legs and hip to see if I could get a response, but there was no response.”
The sole option was repositioning John horizontally, though this would require navigating through the most perilous section of the passage where he remained stuck. Even if he had been conscious and in perfect physical condition, there would have been merely a “minute chance” of success.
A radio was handed down to John’s family, enabling his mum, dad and wife to tell him they loved him and were praying for him. While rescuers battled frantically to free John from the cave, he breathed out with “gurgling breaths” and kicked desperately in a superhuman attempt to escape.
Brandon tried using his jack hammer to chip away fragments of rock, but it kept vanishing into the sand at the edges. He checked John’s temperature later that evening, which had plummeted to nearly match the temperature of the cave wall rocks.
Brandon added: “From there I removed his shoe and attempted to check his temperature. The thermometer read nothing, which the paramedic said was because the temperature was below the range.
“As I took his shoes off and moved his feet I noticed that his feet and legs were significantly stiffer than they had been earlier and it was difficult to his leg more than a few inches.”
A paramedic managed to get close enough to confirm he had died from cardiac arrest. The Nutty Putty Cave entrance was then sealed off and declared a public health hazard.
Roughly a week later, concrete was poured into the cave’s main opening, permanently entombing John. He was survived by his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. At the time, Emily was also pregnant with their second child, a son who was born the following year and named in tribute to his father.
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