Brandon Kowallis was one of the last people to see John Edward Jones alive
The rescuer who was the final person to see a young father-to-be who died trapped in a tiny cave has revealed the terrifying last thing the expectant dad witnessed.
Utah’s Nutty Putty Cave had long been a magnet for adrenaline junkies and underground explorers, drawing adventurers from across the globe to tackle its labyrinth of winding, treacherous passages and clay-smeared walls.
Initially charted in the 1960s, the cave earned notoriety for its claustrophobic squeezes, luring thousands annually. But this fame carried a deadly price.
In 2008, multiple cavers found themselves wedged within its constricted tunnels, and although all were eventually freed, officials opted to temporarily seal the entrance due to safety worries, reports the Mirror.
Despite efforts to limit entry, the cave reopened in May 2009 under fresh permit regulations, and mere months afterwards, disaster unfolded.
That November, 26-year-old medical student and expectant first-time father John Edward Jones ventured with mates and family to explore the cave during the Thanksgiving break.
A seasoned caver, he went hunting for a tight crawlspace dubbed the “Birth Canal.”
Yet, buried deep in the cave’s puzzle-like network, John accidentally entered a deceptively similar but uncharted opening near an area called Ed’s Push.
Mistaking the descent ahead for the turning point, he squeezed in headfirst. The gap was a mere 10 by 18 inches wide.
Once squeezed through, John discovered with dread that he couldn’t twist around, retreat, or shift his frame at all.
He found himself utterly stuck in a black void over 400 feet beneath the surface.
Emergency crews were swiftly alerted, with scores of rescuers rushing into the cavern.
They toiled relentlessly for hours, rigging an intricate pulley system to gradually haul him upwards.
At one stage, they managed to gain precious inches, but catastrophically the equipment failed at the crucial moment, sending John plummeting back down into the stone trap.
Even whilst ensnared himself, John was apparently more worried about a helper who’d been hurt during the rescue bid.
“Is he OK? I think he’s really hurt bad,” he reportedly enquired.
When cave expert Brandon Kowallis arrived on scene, John had already been wedged for several hours.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Kowallis recalled hearing a succession of rattling breaths, which he reckons was liquid flooding John’s lungs, and witnessing his limbs spasm wildly as his condition worsened.
“He was in and out of consciousness and talking about seeing angels and demons,” he revealed. Three hours into his plight, John was met by Susie, another volunteer who had come to his aid.
“Hi Susie, thanks for coming but I really, really want to get out,” he reportedly said, as per The Salt Lake Tribune. However, the gravity of his situation soon dawned on him, sparking panic.
“I’m going to die right here. I’m not going to come out of here, am I?” he asked in a heart-wrenching moment.
A radio was lowered so his family could communicate with him. Shortly after, a paramedic reached him and pronounced him dead at 11:52pm.
The task of retrieving his body was deemed too perilous, leading to the decision to seal the cave with concrete, leaving it permanently closed.
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