Nutty Putty Cave in Utah was a popular spot among spelunkers, but it was closed to the public in 2009 after John Jones tragically and cruelly died while trapped inside, to the point that his body could never be recovered.

What Happened to John Jones?

John Jones grew up in a family passionate about caving. His father would often take him and his brother, Josh, on expeditions in Utah. They quickly learned to love the underground depths and caves.

Unfortunately, John’s first expedition in Nutty Putty Cave, southwest of Utah Lake and about 55 miles from Salt Lake City, was also his last. After entering the cave on November 24, 2009, he quickly became trapped in a narrow passage.

For 28 hours, rescuers desperately tried everything they could to free him, but to no avail. John Jones died inside Nutty Putty Cave, leading to the cave being sealed, with his body still inside, to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.

How Did John Jones Get Trapped?

John Jones entered Nutty Putty Cave around 8 PM on November 24, 2009, just a few days before Thanksgiving. John, 26 years old at the time, and Josh, 23, along with nine other friends and family members, decided to explore Nutty Putty Cave as a pre-holiday get-together.

At 26, John was in the prime of his life. He was married, had a one-year-old daughter, and was attending medical school in Virginia. He had returned home to Utah to spend a relaxing vacation with his family. But things didn’t go as planned.

It had been several years since John had ventured into a cave. And standing over six feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds, he was no longer the small child who could slip through any crevice.

About an hour into the expedition, John decided to find the Nutty Putty Cave’s Birth Canal formation, a very narrow passage that spelunkers must carefully crawl through to pass. He found what he thought was the canal and began moving slowly into the narrow passage, headfirst, maneuvering on his hips, stomach, and fingers. But within minutes, he realized he had made a grave mistake.

John knew he was stuck and didn’t have enough room to turn around. He didn’t even have enough space to back out the way he had come, so his only option was to keep going. He tried exhaling the air from his chest to fit through a space barely two feet high. But when he inhaled again, his chest expanded, trapping him forever.

Why Couldn’t They Get John Out of the Cave?

His brother Josh was the first to find him and tried pulling him out by his calves, but to no avail. John attempted to keep sliding, but he ended up in an even worse position; now, his arms were trapped under his chest, and he couldn’t move at all.

Finally, Josh exited the cave to get help, but even with emergency services, John Jones remained trapped more than 600 feet inside the cave and about 150 feet below the surface. It took almost an hour to bring in people, equipment, and supplies.

The first rescuer to arrive was Susie Motola, who reached him around 12:30 AM on November 25. By then, three and a half hours had passed. After introducing herself, John said:

“Hi Susie, thanks for coming, but I really want to get out.”

The following 24 hours saw more than 100 members of the rescue team working to free John Edward Jones. The best plan was to use a pulley and rope system to try to pull him out.

Shaun Roundy, one of the rescuers on site, explained the difficulties anyone, no matter how experienced, faces in Nutty Putty Cave. Most of its passages and crevices are narrow, and even the entrance had a series of warnings.

Another problem was the downward angle at which he was trapped, which put more pressure on his body. In that position, the heart has to work harder to pump blood away from the brain.

The rescuers tied John to a rope, and when everything was ready, one of the pulleys failed. It’s believed this happened because the wall where it was anchored gave way due to the substantial amount of loose clay.

The only way to free him had vanished, and the rescuers had no other workable plan. Thus, John Jones would remain trapped forever.

The Heartbreaking Death of John Jones

John Jones had struggled for 27 hours, and his stress had skyrocketed due to the position he was in, which forced his heart to work too hard. When he was told that there was no hope, he simply stopped fighting and died an hour later from cardiac arrest.

Nutty Putty Cave had always maintained its reputation, and that night, it proved it more than ever. This cave was discovered in 1960 by Dale Green, who gave it its name because of the clay found in most tunnels, making it extremely dangerous.

John Jones was its last victim, as after his incident, it was permanently closed. His body was never recovered and still remains inside the cave, as it is feared that other accidents could occur during a rescue operation.

This story was adapted into a film by Isaac Halasima, who produced the movie “The Last Descent.” The film is extremely accurate and vividly portrays John’s terrible experience, conveying the feeling of being trapped in such a small space.

Before John Edward Jones’ accident, in 2004, two Boy Scouts nearly died in separate incidents in the cave. Just a week apart, both became trapped. One was 16 years old and took 14 hours to be freed. Luckily, he was only 5’7″ and weighed just over 130 pounds—much smaller than John.

Although the cave was closed after these incidents, it was reopened for six months in 2009, when the tragedy occurred.

Now, Nutty Putty Cave is nothing more than a monument that no one can enter, as access is prohibited and guarded by specialists. But the memory of John remains with anyone who ever feels the urge to explore places like these.