The Tragic End of John Edward Jones: A Fatal Journey into Nutty Putty Cave

In late November 2009, just days before Thanksgiving, 26-year-old John Edward Jones entered Utah’s Nutty Putty Cave. Tragically, he never made it out.

The cave, named for the soft, clay-like substance lining its narrow corridors, was infamous for its tight spaces and challenging passages. Discovered in 1960, it quickly became a favorite spot for Boy Scout troops and amateur cavers. An estimated 25,000 visitors explored its labyrinth each year, despite needing to navigate a narrow crawlway just to access its deeper sections.

By 2009, Nutty Putty Cave had already earned a reputation for danger. In 2004, two separate incidents involving trapped Boy Scouts required elaborate rescues. One operation lasted 14 hours and used a complex pulley system to free a 16-year-old boy. Following these events, authorities closed the cave in 2006 to assess safety measures. It remained off-limits for three years, reopening in May 2009 under stricter guidelines, including an application process for visitors. Yet within months, the cave would see its deadliest — and final — incident.

A Holiday Visit Turns to Tragedy

John Edward Jones was visiting Utah for the holidays, reuniting with family and friends. A medical student in Virginia, he was married with a young daughter and another child on the way. Though he had explored caves as a child, John was not an experienced spelunker and hadn’t been caving in years.

On the evening of November 24, 2009, John entered Nutty Putty Cave with several family members, seeking adventure. Around 8:00 p.m., he set out to find one of the cave’s most notorious formations, a tight, winding passage ominously nicknamed the “Birth Canal.”

Mistaking another narrow crevice for his intended route, John began inching forward headfirst. Using his fingertips, hips, and stomach to propel himself, he quickly realized his error — but by then, he was stuck. The tight passage offered no room to turn around or back out.

A Desperate Struggle

John’s younger brother was the first to find him. Attempts to pull him out by his legs only wedged him deeper into the narrow space. To make matters worse, he was trapped at a steep downward angle, forcing his heart to work overtime to pump blood away from his brain — a position that could only be tolerated for so long.

While John’s family called for help, he remained wedged 400 feet inside the cave and more than 100 feet underground. It took rescuers over three hours to reach him, with the first arriving around 12:30 a.m.

“Hi, Susie. Thanks for coming,” John said to Susie Motola, the first rescuer to reach him. Speaking through the darkness to the only visible part of his body — his feet — he added, “I really, really want to get out.”

An Unrelenting Struggle

Over the next 24 hours, more than 100 rescue personnel worked tirelessly to free John. Using a system of pulleys, they managed to shift him slightly, creating enough space to pass him food and water. Progress was slow but steady — until disaster struck.

Around 5:00 p.m., an anchor securing the pulley system broke loose from the rock, causing John to slide back into his original position. Though unharmed by the fall, he was now wedged tighter than before.

By this point, John had been trapped for over 20 hours. Exhausted and in immense physical strain, his body began to fail. Despite rescuers’ continued efforts, his heart ultimately succumbed to the pressure, and he died of cardiac arrest on November 25, 2009.

An Eternal Resting Place

John’s death marked the end of Nutty Putty Cave’s history as an accessible site. Rescuers determined that retrieving his body posed too great a risk to their own safety. “He’s in an area that’s beyond what anyone can reasonably access,” said state senator John Valentine.

With John’s family’s consent, authorities decided to leave his body in the cave. To prevent further accidents, the cave was sealed permanently. Explosives collapsed sections of the cave near John’s final resting place, and a concrete plug was installed at the entrance. A plaque was placed to honor his memory.

Some members of the caving community opposed the closure, including Dale Green, who discovered and named Nutty Putty Cave. However, Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy defended the decision as the best course of action for all involved.

A Sobering Reminder

Today, Nutty Putty Cave remains sealed, a silent memorial to the heartbreaking loss of John Edward Jones. His story serves as a stark reminder of the risks of caving and the unpredictable dangers that lie beneath the surface.

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