John Edward Jones
Screengrab via YouTube

Why couldn’t John Edward Jones escape Nutty Putty Cave safely, and what happened to him?

The tragic accident remains one of the most shocking in caver history.

When it comes to the colossal realm of true crime, a plethora of unsolved, unexpected, and mysterious death cases are explored every day. The Nutty Putty Cave accident, however, remains one of the most shocking.

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Located in Utah, the hydrothermal cave was at one point in time one of the most popular sites for cave divers and overeager explorers to inspect. However, an accident in 2009 eventually put an end to the aforementioned expeditions when cave explorer John Edward Jones became stuck in the Nutty Putty Cave for over 24 hours. The majority of explorers who had visited the cave in the past were typically exploring college students and devoted Boy Scouts, but only a handful had become stuck.

Years later, however, focus still remains on the case of John Jones and his inability to escape the cave safely. Let’s dive in and reveal the details of the accident as well as what happened to Jones during his dive.

What happened to John Edward Jones?

Photo via Rick Egan / The Salt Lake Tribune

While exploring the Nutty Putty Cave with a specific party of divers, Jones ventured out with a few others in hopes of discovering the “Birth Canal” portion of the cave. Instead of discovering that portion, however, Jones accidentally entered a different passageway that left him stuck in an inclosed fissure. Due to the way he’d entered the passageway, Jones became stuck upside-down, with rescue aids attempting to save him using a specific rope-and-pulley system. Their efforts, however, did not turn out to be successful.

Despite the efforts of rescue workers, Jones eventually died from heart complications after being trapped inside, with the ultimate cause of death being deemed cardiac arrest. In the end, Jones’ body was sealed inside as the hole to the passageway was filled with concrete and the cave was closed indefinitely for safety reasons.


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Taylor Mansfield
Fascinated by the art of journalism, Taylor Mansfield has been writing for over 10 years. In the present day, she lends her expertise as a Staff Writer / Editor for WGTC, tackling a broad range of topics such as movies, television, celebrity news, and of course… *anything* horror! Because wherever there is horror — Taylor isn't far behind. She has previously contributed to entertainment sites such as GamersDecide, MovieWeb, and The Nerd Stash.