A heart-wrenching simulation reveals the tragic fate of cave explorer John Edward Jones, who endured what many have called the ‘worst death imaginable.’
On November 24, 2009, Jones entered the infamous Nutty Putty Cave but tragically never made it out alive.
His story has haunted social media for years due to the horrifying circumstances surrounding his death, sparking ongoing fascination with the unimaginable terror he must have experienced.
At just 26 years old, Jones, along with his brother Josh and some family friends, ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, located around 55 miles from Salt Lake City. An experienced spelunker and medical student, Jones quickly realized he had made a catastrophic mistake during the expedition.
Attempting to locate a tight passage known as the Birth Canal, Jones mistakenly crawled into a narrow tunnel, believing he was on the right path. However, he soon found himself stuck in a space just 10 inches across and 18 inches high—and to make matters worse, he was trapped upside down.
A YouTube video by Storified explains the grim details through a simulation, showing just how desperate the situation became.
“In order to reach the opening, John exhaled the air in his lungs to fit and slide over a lip of rock and down into the 10-inch-wide side of the crevice,” the narrator explains. “But when his chest expanded as he inhaled again, he was stuck. Every effort to free himself only caused him to slide deeper into the even narrower 8 ½-inch-wide section.”
With one arm pinned under his body and the other trapped behind him by a rock outcrop, Jones found himself wedged in an agonizing upside-down position at a 70-degree angle.
Despite rescue attempts, including a pulley system, John seemed to lose hope, saying, “I’m going to die right here. I’m not going to come out of here, am I?”
After nearly 27-28 hours of being trapped, John fell silent and eventually lost consciousness, succumbing to cardiac arrest.
A plaque now stands at the cave’s entrance to honor his memory.