Overview

This site contains aggregated information on the Nutty Putty Cave tragedy of 2009, when caver John Jones passed away after being trapped in an inverted position for 28 hours. Although there are many resources for this event, I feel the information is too scattered and difficult to locate. Over the years sources of information have already been lost.

Additionally, disinformation and misinformation appears to be prevalent in regards to this incident, which is very unfortunate for those looking to understand what actually happened. This site attempts to provide various points of view on many elements of the incident, rescue, and aftermath of Nutty Putty Cave.

As a final note, there is of course no guarantee of authenticity or accuracy regarding quoted individuals. I generally selected those who I felt had either informative points of view, or interesting information to share. It is of course, up to the reader to decide who and what they believe.

"There were some things that happened down there that will never be published.”

— Dale Green, Nutty Putty Discoverer

"Some situations are simply not survivable, no matter who the rescuers are or how they are trained or what equipment they have."

— Bill Putnam, NSS Chairman

Trapped!

• Where exactly did John Jones get stuck?
• Was the passage on the survey map?
• Were there any indications not to traverse the passage?
• Have other people been stuck in the passage?
• Why did Jones traverse the passage?
• How did Jones get stuck in the passage?
• How did other cavers describe the area and experience?

The Rescue Begins

• How did Jones' caving party respond to his situation?
• What was the initial assessment of rescue personnel?
• What early attempts were made to free Jones?
• Who was called in for the ongoing rescue effort?

The Rescue Intensifies

• How was the pulley system configured and executed?
• What made the rescue so difficult?
• What was the condition of Jones' health?
• Why was information on the rescue so limited?

Tragedy Strikes

• Was Jones ever actually free from the crevice?
• What exactly went wrong with the final rescue effort?
• What was the cause of Jones' death?
• Why was the body never recovered?

Aftermath

• Was the rescue of Jones even possible in the first place?
• What was the Jones family's stance on the cave?
• What happened to the Nutty Putty Cave?
• What did cavers think about the closure?