Mysterious Stories Blog

Strange, disturbing and mysterious stories from the outdoors

Spelunking, Utah, Nutty Putty Cave Utah, John Jones StrangeOutdoors.com Spelunking, Utah, Nutty Putty Cave Utah, John Jones StrangeOutdoors.com

The shocking death of John Jones in the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah

john jones nutty putty death

When John Edward Jones was a kid, he often explored cave systems in Utah with his father, Leon, and his brother, Josh.

The recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems is called “spelunking” in the United States and Canada and potholing or caving elsewhere.

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. They were picked up by Josh, who told John that the Nutty Putty Cave had been re-opened for six months after an extended closure due to safety and erosion concerns. He suggested they head out for some spelunking to relive their childhood experiences.

So John, Josh, and several friends headed to Nutty Putty Cave at around 8 pm on Tuesday, November 24, 2009. The cave is west of Utah Lake and about 55 miles from Salt Lake City.

When they got into Nutty Putty, John decided to split up and explore an un-mapped route within the cave system. It was to be a fatal crawl in the deepest part of the cave and one that led to one of the most shocking and disturbing deaths imaginable.

John eventually died on the evening of November 25, 2009, stuck upside down in the narrow passage from heart failure after a colossal rescue effort by over 100 volunteers. They tried desperately to get him out of the position he was wedged in. All the efforts were unsuccessful. Within days, Nutty Putty Cave was sealed with concrete forever as a memorial to John Jones.

Read the full story by logging in or becoming a member of StrangeOutdoors.com here: The shocking death of John Jones in the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah

StrangeOutdoors Exclusive Members Only Area
$15.99
One time

Exclusive articles for members of StrangeOutdoors that are not available elsewhere on the site.

✓ 64 articles as of December 2024
✓ One time fee
✓ Exclusive members-only multi-blog articles
Read More
Click here to Donate to StrangeOutdoors

RECENT BLOG POSTS

Featured
StrangeOutdoors Mysterious Stories Blog Articles
The mysterious disappearance of Trenny Lynn Gibson from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The puzzling disappearance and death of Mitchell Dale Stehling in Mesa Verde National Park
The incredible survival story of Lukas McClish after 10 days lost in the Big Basin Redwoods State Park
The strange disappearance of Samantha Sayers from Vesper Peak
The bizarre disappearance of Keith Reinhard and death of Tom Young in the Rocky Mountains
The disturbing deaths of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon on their La Pianista Hike in Panama
The mysterious disappearance of Kat Hammontre in Diablo Canyon
The Baffling Death Of Jordan Grider in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The mysterious case of the Yuba County Five
The shocking and tragic story of the Vance family’s attempt at off-grid living in Colorado
The world’s Most Haunted Roads Part 1 - Stocksbridge Bypass in South Yorkshire, England
The strange mystery of the Australian Button Man and the Victorian Alpine Park disappearances
The strange death of Elisa Lam in the LA Cecil Hotel
The very mysterious disappearance of Carl Landers from Mount Shasta
The Scottish Highlands’ most haunted hiking stopover - Luibeilt Bothy
The mysterious Observation Post Rock - Afghanistan’s Haunted Military Outpost
The puzzling disappearance of Barbara Bolick from the Bitterroot Mountains
The mysterious M Cave and the strange disappearance of Kenny Veach
The bizarre death of Charles McCullar in Crater Lake National Park - “the Melting Man of Crater Lake”
The Bizarre disappearance of Maureen Leianuhea Kelly -The Naked Hiker Who Vanished During A Spiritual Quest
The puzzling disappearance of ex-paratrooper Gilbert Gilman from Olympic National Park
The strange disappearance of Fern Baird from the Prairie Peak Trail in Idaho
The shocking deaths caused by bears in the United States and Canada
The mysterious disappearance of Michael Bryson from the Hobo Campground in Oregon
The baffling disappearance of the anthropologist Sam Dubal on Mt. Rainier
The disturbing disappearance of Daylenn Pua from Hawaii’s Stairway To Heaven walkway
The strange disappearance of Sammy Boehlke from Crater Lake National Park
The baffling disappearance and death of Aidan Roche near the Eiger in the Swiss Alps
The strange disappearance of the YouTube Survivalist Finn Creaney in the Scottish Highlands
Featured
True Crime in the Outdoors Blog Articles
The Crystal Cave Murders : Brigitte Meier and Karin Gattiker
The disturbing murder of Tomomi Hanamure on the Havasupai Trail
The Terrifying Case of Gary Michael Hilton, the National Forest Serial Killer: Part 1 Meredith Hope Emerson
The Terrifying Case of Gary Michael Hilton, the National Forest Serial Killer: Part 2 Cheryl Dunlap
The Terrifying Case of Gary Michael Hilton, the National Forest Serial Killer: Part 3 Irene and John Bryant
The Terrifying Case of Gary Michael Hilton, the National Forest Serial Killer: Part 4 Other murders
The Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park
The unsolved murders of Mary Cooper and Susanna Stodden on the Pinnacle Lake Trail in Washington
The unsolved Hinterkaifeck farm family massacre in Germany
The disturbing death of Helen Fiona Torbet in the Scottish Highlands
The Wonnangatta campsite murders in Victoria’s Alpine National Park
The disturbing murders of the Cowden Family near Applegate Lake
The real Wolf Creek - Ivan Milat and the Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback
The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German
The Nepal Backpacker Murders in Langtang National Park
The Starved Rock State Park murders
Shocking camping abductions and murders
The murder of Sophie Louise Hook whilst camping in her Uncle's garden in Wales
The miracle rescue of Alan Lee Phillips at Colorado’s Guanella Pass - the man who turned out to be a serial killer
The chilling story of Thomas Lee Dillon - the Ohio Outdoorsmen killer
The miraculous escape of the Brazilian and German backpackers at Salt Creek in South Australia
Murder on the Appalachian Trail
Robert Hansen “Butcher Baker” - the Alaska Serial killer who hunted his victims in the wilderness
The Oklahoma Girl Scout Camping Murders
The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders
The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders
The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park
The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter
The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise