![]() When asked about when another death would occur in the cave in the future, Leavitt said "We all know the answer to that question. He does, however, believe that the Jones family's wish to close the cave and preserve it as John's grave was reasonable. He states that the closure of the cave will harm the wildlife within the cave due to the blasting and cement sealing closing them off from the outside world. The Utah School and Institutional Trust and Lands Administration (SITLA), which owns the Nutty Putty, with the consensus of several government bodies believed that the closure was justified for public safety, however their statement has been contested by several in the caving community with many stating that a tragedy does not justify the closure of an entire site among other griefs with the situation.Īn editorial was published on the official Nutty Putty Cave website from the cave access manager, Michael Leavitt. Opposers to the sealing of the cave express feelings of grief over not being able to revisit it, and many blame John for his death causing the site's closure. Petitions were created to save the cave from being sealed off, however, the cave was sealed on December 2, 2009, with a plaque in John's name on the site. The closure of the cave has sparked some controversy among the spelunking community, especially from those who explored it earlier in their lives and saw nostalgic value in it. The Nutty Putty Cave was sealed after the incident, and John's body still remains there.Ĭontroversy Over the Cave's Closure After 28 hours of being stuck in the crevice, John Edward Jones became unresponsive and was declared dead. He apologized to Ryan about being overweight and made lighthearted commentary with his rescuers while they attempted to pull him out. Tools present for expanding the tunnel were also ineffective, as powerful excavation tools could harm him, and smaller ones would not operate fast enough.ĭuring his time stuck in the crevice, John had prayed and talked about his life and what he had hoped to do once he was out of the hole to a man overseeing his rescue, Ryan Shurtz. The crevice was also shaped in a way that would not allow John to contort backward enough for escape in a harness without breaking his legs, which would cause fatal shock. John hung upside-down in that crevice for hours, causing excessive blood to flow to his brain which eventually caused a brain hemorrhage that impaired John's ability to communicate. Upon further assessment of the situation, however, there were several complications. One of these volunteers, Susie Motola, was the first to greet John and kindly told him that he would be out "lickety split". His brother crawled into the alcove after his brother and spoke with him for a while before searching for help, and eventually, a volunteer rescue team came to his aid. ![]() The area of the cave John was exploring was an unmapped area within the cave which branched off of The Birth Canal. The cave he had crawled into was too narrow for him to rotate, so he proceeded forward to find an area where he could turn around, but fell down into a 5 and a half-foot crevice head first. In search of an area called "The Birth Canal", a curvaceous subsidiary of the cave, John found a waist-high alcove to explore, however, his situation took a turn for the worse when he decided to turn back. On Tuesday, November 24th, 2009, John and Josh, as well as two friends entered the Nutty Putty Cave and explored an area called "The Big Slide" before eventually separating to find challenging areas within the cave. While going to Utah to visit family, he decided to go spelunking with his brother, a hobby that the two of them frequented when they were children.
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