A rescuer has recounted the final moments of John Edward Jones, who went on an unsuccessful caving expedition to the now-famous Nutty Putty Cave in Utah and never returned.
Jones, 26, experienced “one of the most horrific deaths imaginable” when he took the wrong route and found himself trapped upside down in an extremely narrow gap, essentially “crawling into my own grave.”
Unable to turn or retreat, the 26-year-old father spent 27 hours in horrific conditions as his family radioed him desperate messages of support.
Now the man who was given the seemingly impossible task of trying to free him has shared his experiences.
John Jones
A devout Christian, medical student and father of a newborn, John Edward Jones seemed to have it all.
John and his brother Josh, who grew up in a large family, were fascinated with caving as children and decided to renew their passion by going on a tour of Nutty Putty Cave.
The brothers arrived at the cave with a group of nine friends and relatives with varying levels of experience—a fairly large team for caving.
Upon arrival, the group quickly split up, with the children and less experienced adults exploring the easier sections of the cave while the more experienced cavers delved further.
This is where it all went wrong.
Salvation
John's brother, Josh, was the first to find him. He carefully made his way through the gap just inches behind his brother, and was horrified to see John's legs sticking out of the narrow hole that had swallowed him.
“When I saw his legs and saw the rock swallow him up, I knew it was serious,” Josh told the Salt Lake Tribune. “It was serious.”
Josh tried to pull his brother out of the hole, but he could only lift him a little. As soon as he let go of John, he immediately slid back into the gap.
“I thought, 'I can't get him out,'” he said. “'I don't know how I'm going to get him out.'”
While they waited for rescuers, they prayed together. But at the end of the prayer, Josh heard his own voice waver and break.
John began to reassure him, telling him that everything would be fine and that he should treat his girlfriend well.
“The way we talked,” Josh noted, “it seemed like John knew what the score was.”
Sourse: metro.co.uk
