The widow of John Edward Jones, a caver who met a tragic fate in the Nutty Putty cave back in 2009, has spoken out against online trolls who have criticized her new life.
John Edward Jones had been exploring the Nutty Putty cave on November 24, 2009, when he became trapped in a precarious position, gradually losing his ability to breathe. Despite the valiant efforts of rescuers, he tragically passed away, leading to the cave’s eventual sealing with his body still inside.
While facing an unimaginable tragedy, John’s widow, Emily Jones Sanchez, has managed to rebuild her life over the course of 14 years. Remarkably, she has remarried and welcomed two children into her life.
In 2016, a film titled “The Last Decent” was made, chronicling the attempted rescue of John, which has recently attracted the attention of online trolls. These trolls seem determined to see Emily trapped in mourning rather than moving forward with her life.
One commenter posted on March 6, 2020, saying, “JOHN WAS BETTER! RIP JOHN. IF I WERE YOUR WIFE, I WOULD HAVE NEVER MOVED ON SO SOON AND WOULD BE SHARING YOUR STORY AND LIFE. AND POSTING ABOUT YOU.” Another comment questioned if the man in Emily’s profile picture was John or someone else, expressing genuine confusion about her situation.
In response to the trolls, Emily has courageously defended her marriage to her new husband, Donovan Sanchez. “It’s never been hard to remember John,” she shared in an interview with Deseret News. “Ever since the very beginning, ever since I first met Donovan, he’s been really comfortable with John continuing to be a part of our family and our lives, especially because of our kids. He just knows that the kids need to remember their dad so he’s good about wanting to stay in touch with the Joneses and he loves the Joneses.”
Fortunately, Emily has received support from others who empathize with her situation. One defender wrote, “I hope she does not read these comments… and I hope none of you have to go through what she has in her life. Losing someone is hard enough, and going through a pregnancy on your own, having to look at those kids every day knowing what happened to their dad, having a film made about it.
You may not agree with her choices, but you don’t pay her bills, feed her kids, or mow her grass… John loved her, and she loved him. So just maybe he sent someone to help her get through it. It’s not easy to go through life on a good day, so give it up… I hope she is every bit happy and blessed, and the same to her beautiful children.”
