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Cave Rescue: Last Words from the 'Worst Death Imaginable'
8 May
Summary
- Rescuer revealed John's final moments, describing frantic kicking before unconsciousness.
- It was impossible to rescue John because he was trapped upside down.
- John would have survived if he had stopped just a few feet sooner.
In November 2009, 26-year-old John Edward Jones tragically died after becoming trapped upside down in Nutty Putty Cave, Utah. Explorer Brandon Kowallis, who was present during the agonizing 27-hour rescue attempt, has since clarified misconceptions surrounding the incident.
Kowallis explained that John's fatal error was entering an uncharted passage head-first, leading to him becoming wedged in a narrow fissure. He described hearing John's breathing turn to a gurgle before he stopped struggling, appearing to lose consciousness. Kowallis confirmed that rescue was impossible solely because John was upside down.
Contrary to some theories, Kowallis emphatically denied that John was given a mercy killing. He also stated that if John had stopped just ten feet earlier, he would have easily escaped. Tragically, John was beyond the point of no return once his body had passed a certain point in the passage.
John, a father-of-one and husband to a pregnant wife, was left in the cave. After he stopped breathing, concrete was poured into the main opening, sealing the cave with him inside forever.
