Nutty Putty Cave: The Final Resting Place for One Unlucky Spelunker

John Jones had the privilege of growing up in the great outdoors of Utah, surrounded by a family of passionate caving enthusiasts. The breathtaking landscapes and mysterious caves throughout Utah served as the perfect playground for the Jones family. With his brother Josh and their father, John embarked on numerous cave explorations, creating treasured memories and thrilling adventures with each new journey.

By 2009, John was a 26-year-old married father of one with a second daughter on the way. He attended medical school in Virginia, where he lived with his wife, Amy. Years had passed since John had stepped foot inside a cave. He missed exploring the unknown, and the adrenaline rush he felt. And so, John planned a trip to Utah to visit family and friends -and decided they'd all take a trip to explore the Nutty Putty.

Utah’s Nutty Putty Cave

And so John planned a trip with his family to Utah where his brother and a small group of friends would explore the Nutty Putty Cave.

First explored in 1960, Nutty Putty Cave was notorious for its narrow passageways and odd twists and turns many experts deemed impassable by humans. Spelunkers entered the cave through a narrow 30” passageway that immediately dropped 4.7 metered down.

Frequent Tourists Deteriorate Cave, Force Closure

Around 5,000 to 25,000 visitors filled the Nutty Putty each year, although the constant movement inside the cave caused smoothing of the walls and floors, further narrowing the tiny passageways.

Between 1999 and 2004, the cave’s safety was called into question after numerous rescue missions including a man who become stuck in a passageway for several hours. These high-profile incidents led to the cave entrance being closed for several years starting in September 2007, citing that it was a “ticking time bomb” and that it was “only a matter of time” before someone was killed.

Cave supporters protested the closure and soon, Utah officials reopened the cave in March 2009.

On November 24, 2009, John, his brother Jason, and nine other friends and family members walked past the warning signs posted at the cave’s entrance and made their way into the cave around 9:00 p.m. John did not take into consideration the length of time that had passed since he explored a cave, nor the fact that he was now a 6-foot-tall, 200-pound man, much larger than the teenage physique he wore all those years ago.

An Adventure Gone Terribly Wrong

Each area of The Nutty Putty had a distinctive and very appropriate name based on its design; the Aorta Crawl; the Maze; the Scout Eater; and the Birth Canal were among the areas of the cave.

John and his group entered the cave through the Blowhole entrance. For the next hour, the group explored the cave with sheer excitement. As the group came to an area known as Big Slide, another group of spelunkers told them about how the area known as The Birth Canal was such a tight squeeze, they could pass through only by sucking in their stomachs, then barely making it past.

The Narrow Birth Canal in Nutty Putty Cave

The Birth Canal sounded like the challenge John had come to conquer. He wanted an exciting cave exploration trip, and this area sounded as like the adventure he sought. After a brief discussion, John, his brother, and two other members of the group headed toward The Nutty Putty while the others in the group continued exploring other areas.

John entered what he thought was the Birth Canal first. He maneuvered through the entrance using his chest, hips, and hands. It was such a tight squeeze he could not turn around. He continued forward until spotting a fissure in front of him. The fissure dropped down, and assuming he was inside the Birth Canal, expected this to be the exit.

John pushed forward, struggling to move through the nearly impassable passageway. He soon realized he was in trouble.

A Wrong Turn

John had made a wrong turn approximately 50 feet before making it to the Birth Canal. It’s unclear if John entered the area known as Ed’s Push or if he entered the area called the Scout Eater. In either area, the outcome was bleak. Both passageways were uncharted, as they weren’t large enough for a human to pass, especially one of John’s large size.

In a tight crevice measuring 10 x 18, roughly the size of a washing machine opening, John found himself trapped. Desperate for assistance, he called upon his brother for help. Josh grasped John's legs and pulled with all his strength, hoping to free him. However, their efforts only managed to lift John a mere inch. The moment Josh released his grip, John, unfortunately, slipped further into the depths of the hole.

Now a much worse scenario played out as John’s left hand was pinned underneath him, and his right leg was bent backward. At that moment, John and Josh, both devout Mormons, said a prayer. Josh then left his brother’s side to look for help.

More than three hours passed when Josh returned to his brother’s location with a team of rescuers around midnight. More than 100 rescuers worked diligently to rescue John from the tight space, offering ideas ranging from lubing the cave walls to using pulleys, ideas that both worked in previous rescues.

One rescuer tied a rope around his waist and attached it to John’s ankle hoping to remove some of the cave wall and pull him free. Rescuers drilled at chunks of rock on the wall, although the rocks, hardened by materials and time, didn’t budge.

Keep in mind rescuers could not see John. Only his feet were visible by this time. The ceiling above John and his position upside down in the cave prevented that.

When the wall didn’t budge, rescuers attempted to pull John out using a pulley system. It worked, so they thought, and John began moving upward. The rescuer working the pulley could now see John and the smile he wore on his face. The fourth pull changed the short-lived luck rescuers had.

A stone arch near John’s legs shattered, causing a key bolt to break off that forced John deeper into the hole. Rescuers watched John slip even as the dust from the stone arch stirred through the air. Then came his screams. Rescuers believe the fall broke at least one of John’s legs.

John’s upside-down position in the cave forced his heart to work twice as hard as it should. It continually pumped blood outside his brain. The longer John remained in this position, the more dire the consequences.

As hours passed by, John’s hopes began to fade, and so did his emotions. He was frantic at times, and calm at others. He no longer talked to rescuers. Even when they called his name, there wasn't a response. They could hear shallow, faint breaths inside the cave and knew John was struggling to stay alive.

John asked to speak to his wife. Rescuers sent him a two-way radio. His wife stood at the entrance of the cave. The couple expressed their love for each other and attempted to calm one another, now in the 19th hour of the attempted rescue.

John Dies in Nutty Putty Cave

The next nine hours proved fruitless despite rescuers drilling into the cave and attempting every possible scenario to pull him out. One man even attempted to lower himself into the cave with a pulley attached to his waist to bring John back up. He also got stuck but managed to get out of the cave.

A medical professional finally arrived on the scene hoping to help John. He arrived too late. Despite the rescuer's best efforts, John Edward Jones died inside the Nutty Putty Cave on November 25, 2009. He died from suspected cardiac failure just before midnight.

John’s body remains inside the cave as officials determined that retrieving it was too dangerous. They also determined Nutty Putty was dangerous and permanently sealed off its entrance to the public.

A medical professional finally arrived on the scene hoping to help John. He arrived too late. Despite the massive efforts to save his life, John Edward Jones died inside the Nutty Putty Cave on November 25, 2009. He died from suspected cardiac failure just before midnight.

John’s body remains inside the cave as officials determined that retrieving it was too dangerous. They also determined Nutty Putty was too dangerous to explore and permanently sealed off its entrance to the public.

John’s Wife Amy Harassed Online

Amy Edwards delivered a healthy baby girl weeks after John’s death. She eventually remarried and had two more children. Despite the decade-plus that has passed since the incident, trolls continually badger Amy on social media sites like Twitter.

Remember, minding your own business is free. Worry about your wrongs, make them right, and then judge other people.