When they got into Nutty Putty, John made the unfortunate decision to split up and explore an un-mapped route within the cave system. The cave is west of Utah Lake and about 55 miles from Salt Lake City. So John and Josh and several friends headed to Nutty Putty Cave at around 8 pm on Tuesday, November 24, 2009. He suggested that they head out there for a bit of spelunking to relive their childhood experiences. They were picked up by Josh, who told John that the Nutty Putty Cave had been re-opened for six months, after a long closure due to safety and erosion concerns. John, 26, his wife Emily, and daughter Lizzie arrived in Utah to see family over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2009 at their parents’ Stansbury Park home. The recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems is known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing or just caving elsewhere in the world. Story compiled with contributions from John Hollenhorst and Sarah Dallof.When John Edward Jones was a kid, he often explored cave systems with his father, Leon, and his brother, Josh, in Utah. Some images inside the cave courtesy of. They will post news on the Nutty Putty Cave website. They're exploring the idea of creating a fund to promote safe caving for youth. The Jones family says John wouldn't want to discourage people from the outdoors. The services for Jones will be Saturday morning at 11:00 at the LDS Stansbury Park Stake Center. He is survived by his pregnant wife and 14-month-old daughter. We're grieving with the family and the whole community," said Valentine.įriends and family said Jones was someone who lived life to the fullest, who loved the outdoors and exploring caves. "It's a very, very difficult experience to just be that close and not be able to pull it off. Out of respect for the family and for the safety of the public, the cave will be guarded around the clock to keep people out until the cave is sealed off. Everybody's pulled forward on this rescue," said Leavitt. While Leavitt supported the decision to close the cave, he said he felt emotionally torn. "Every process was put into place to ensure a safer caving environment out there with more prepared groups," said Leavitt. According to cave manager Michael Leavitt, Nutty Putty was popular with beginning cavers who could book five hour trips online. The cave, discovered in 1960, attracted thousands of spelunkers a year - so many that a system had been put into place requiring groups to apply for permits to explore. "They will be kept in the loop on the construction and the materials and the way it's done so they can finalize their plan for an appropriate monument to their son." "There will be allowed a monument that the family can place there, that they feel is appropriate," said Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy. Officials said they made the decision with full input from Jones' family. We feel like not only is this the final resting place and it should be respected, it's also to protect future cavers," said Josh Jones. "We feel like it would be John's will to protect the safety of future cavers. The family was in total support of closing the cave. The crawlspaces where Jones got stuck are so tight, confining and convoluted that only tiny people could get to him, and they'd run a high risk of getting stuck themselves. They initially said he was stuck in an area known as Bob's Push, which turned out to be incorrect. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office said Jones' body was stuck in an unnamed passageway about approximately 100 feet down and 400 feet from the entrance of the cave. Josh Jones, John's brother, speaks at the Friday press conference John Valentine, who is also with the Utah County Search and Rescue team. "For the same reason that John got hurt and got stuck, if we put other people in that same location they could likewise get stuck or get hurt," said Utah Sen. They said it's just too dangerous and difficult to attempt a body recovery. "There are some that feel they have failed our family, and we want everyone to know they have done everything humanly possible to save our bother."Īll parties involved agreed unanimously the cave should be permanently sealed. It was a heroic effort," said Josh Jones. "We just want to thank the rescue workers. They struggled in the tight confines of the cave, so close to Jones, but were totally unable to extricate him. This has obviously been a tremendously difficult ordeal, not only for the family, but for rescuers. The announcement was made Friday afternoon at the sheriff's office in Utah County. It's a place to honor and respect our brother," said Josh Jones, John's brother. "It will be the final resting place for our son and our brother and husband.
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