The last descent. Based on true events!

March 20, 2022. No. 190

There is a cave called Nutty Putty Cave located west of Utah Lake in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is a hydrothermal cave. Previously popular with cavers and famous for its narrow passageways, Nutty Putty has been closed to the public since 2009 following a fatal accident that year.

The cave owes its reputation to it, after the death of John Edward Jones, who spent more than 28 hours trapped in its cavities before he died. Several people had been trapped in that cave, but one way or another the firefighters and rescue personnel managed to get them out with a complex system of ropes. It had been reopened to the public for 6 months when the tragedy occurred. Thousands of people visited it until this case appeared and it was closed forever.

It turns out that John would have decided to go with his relatives to enter the cave. It had been years since he practiced this practice and he was no longer a thin, short boy. These caves are known for their narrow cavities, which you have to squeeze through very tightly. As you will understand, it is not suitable for claustrophobics.

Jhon began to enter it and while exploring the cave with his brother, he mistook a tunnel known as "Birth Canal" and entered an even narrower one. He immediately realized his mistake and a few seconds later it was impossible for him to return, only to go a little further. He exhaled the air from his lungs to be able to advance a little more and in doing so he moved a little more, but when he recovered the air, he got stuck even worse.

Jhon became stuck upside-down in an area measuring 10 by 18 inches (25 by 46cm), around 400 feet (120m) from the cave's entrance. Jones was held in place like a hook, unable to move without causing serious harm due to the bends his body was placed in. His brother found him and could only see his sneakers. He tried to pull him but he can't and decided to seek help.

An hour later the reinforcements appeared and 3 hours passed until a female rescuer arrived at their position. These were his words:

"Hello Susie, thanks for coming," John said, "but I really want to get out."

24 hours they tried to get him out with the strap system that had worked a few times before. On this occasion, they failed due to how stuck Jhon was, in addition to the fact that the straps did not catch well on the walls of the cave due to degradation.

The position in which Jhon was, head down with 70% tilt angle, meant that the heart had to pump much more to prevent all the blood, due to gravity, from going to his head. Compression of his chest didn't help either. If he had stayed in a more horizontal position or where the head was higher, he would have had a better chance of being rescued. Jones ultimately suffered cardiac arrest due to the strain placed upon his body over several hours by his inverted, compressed position.

The rescuers analyzed that it was very difficult and complex to recover his body. The family and the owner of the land reached an agreement that they should close the cave and leave it as a grave for Jhon, being sealed forever. Explosives and eventually concrete were used to make the cave inaccessible to the public again. He leaves behind his family, his wife, a son, and another on the way.

A film about the tragedy called The Last Descent was released on September 16, 2016.

Truly a tragedy. Rest in peace.