The last person to see ill-fated caver John Jones alive revealed last year how emergency services were able to determine that he had died.
The harrowing circumstances of John’s demise are familiar to many, with the young man having suffered what has been dubbed “the worst death imaginable”. In November 2009, John visited Utah’s infamous Nutty Putty Cave with his brother and some friends, having traveled from his home in Virginia for Thanksgiving.
What transpired in the cave would leave a chilling legacy still talked about today, 16 years after the fact. Attempting to navigate Nutty Putty’s tight tunnels, John mistakingly traveled down a section of the cave labeled the ‘birth canal’, ultimately becoming lodged in an upside down position with no way of getting out.
If you find this prospect shudder-inducing then fear not; you’re not alone. For many, it’s a nightmare scenario, being stuck in a dark cave tunnel with nothing but rock in front of you and no way of retreating out.
John’s brother scrambled back to the surface to raise the alarm, triggering a massive rescue operation that would last more than 27 hours.
Dozens of rescuers worked in shifts to free him, battling the cramped conditions and the awkward position of his body. But as time went on, Jones’ situation became more critical. Being trapped upside-down for hours meant blood rushed to his head and his heart was under extreme strain.
Tragically, John died despite the extensive efforts to save his life.
The last person to ever see him alive was cave explorer and YouTuber Brandon Kowallis, who aided in the efforts to get John out. Last year, Brandon wrote a blog post about the incident, revealing how paramedics were able to determine John had died.
Brandon wrote: “They sent in a smaller paramedic to see if he could get back to John. In the event he couldn’t he showed me how to use the stethoscope and thermometer and where to check for a pulse.”
He continued: “I first tried the stethoscope and was only able to get it about 3 inches up and to the right of his naval. I didn’t hear a distinct heartbeat, only some ruffling, fluttering sounds that were probably a result of me shaking as I tried to steady myself in an awkward location.”
Brandon tried to reach down as far as John’s torso to check if he was breathing.
He recalled: “From there I removed his shoe and attempted to check his temperature. The thermometer read nothing, which the paramedic said was because the temperature was below the range. As I took his shoes off and moved his feet I noticed that his feet and legs were significantly stiffer than they had been earlier and it was difficult to his leg more than a few inches.”
Brandon returned to the surface to report his grim findings with paramedics, who then crawled into the cave to confirm that John had passed away.
Today, a memorial plaque stands at the cave’s entrance – a somber reminder of a tragic day that left the caving community forever changed.
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