The final individual to witness the ill-fated Nutty Putty cave explorer alive has shared the reasons behind his inability to save him, despite the relentless efforts of rescuers.
For many, the concept of death can be intimidating, and experiencing a painful demise is something no one wishes for. Unfortunately, this explorer had no say in the matter.
The Nutty Putty Cave rescue occurred on November 25, 2009, involving 26-year-old medical student John Edward Jones, who became trapped in the Utah cave for over 24 hours during an expedition with his friends.
After navigating through the extremely narrow ‘birth canal’ section of the cave, he mistakenly took a wrong turn, ending up head-first in a small passageway measuring just 10 inches by 18 inches.
It was at this point that he became immobile.
John was so firmly lodged that he could not turn around or move backward, leaving him trapped in this position for over a day. Tragically, his brother, who was with him along with friends, could only watch helplessly.
The last person to see John alive was cave explorer and YouTuber Brandon Kowallis. In a blog post from last year, Brandon detailed how, despite his attempts to rescue John, the mission was unachievable from every aspect.
Before Brandon’s arrival, rescuers had been striving to extricate John, providing him with a radio to communicate with his family. By the time Brandon arrived, John’s condition was deteriorating rapidly.
The inverted position John was in meant that blood, which should have been flowing to his feet, was instead rushing to his head. This caused breathing difficulties, and his heart rate doubled in an attempt to counteract gravity and redirect blood flow from his brain.
Describing John’s final moments, Brandon noted: “He was in and out of consciousness and had started talking about seeing angels and demons around him.”
Brandon maneuvered through the tight shaft to check on John during his final moments, encountering a scene that remains deeply distressing.
Brandon detected a gurgling breath, which ominously suggested that fluid was accumulating in John’s lungs. His legs were also jerking uncontrollably.
While searching for any hope of rescuing John, it became evident that the task was both impossible and perilous for human intervention.
“It looked like he could only be lifted another foot or two in his current position because of where the webbing was anchored around his knees,” the explorer explained.
“After a foot or two his feet would hit the ceiling. And then once he reached the ceiling, there was no way to tilt him to a horizontal position.”
Soon after, John suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away.
Ultimately, it was deemed too hazardous to recover his body, leading to the permanent sealing of the cave entrance. This site has since been turned into a makeshift memorial for the family, featuring a plaque in John’s memory.