Episode 773: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure | Forensic Files

Hey weirdos, I'm Alaina. I'm Ash and this is Morbid. This is Morbid. We are coming at you not
live from our Pod Lab. >> Yeah. >> But you know where we could be coming to you live from?
>> Radio City Music Hall. >> [ __ ] >> In New York City. >> In New York City. >> On June 27th, be there or be a big old
lame-o. >> Yeah, come on. It'll be fun. It's one night only. >> Debbie is going to teach us how to do a
tap. >> Yeah. >> How to tap. >> do a kick line. >> Yeah, we're going to do a kick line and
we might even do a little tap tap tap. >> And we got some fun [ __ ] planned. >> We have some fun [ __ ] planned. We're
working on, you know, figuring a couple things out. We just figured merch out and some of the merch is going to be
sick and nasty. >> Yeah, it's going to be disgustingly great. >> Yeah, I'm really [ __ ] stoked. So, get
your tickets for that. Um you don't have that much time left. June 27th is going
to be here before you know it. >> So, get those tickets. Uh Ticketmaster, only get them there because that's the
only place where we said, "Hey, those prices sound good." >> Yeah, if it's elsewhere and it looks
insane, we have nothing to do with that. Period. Promise. >> So yeah, get those tickets. We want to
see you there. We want to hang. >> We want to see your face. >> to see your face.
>> of your body. >> I want to see We want to see from your head down to your legs.
>> Exactly. >> All of the above. >> But not your feet. >> Ew. Go to WikiFeet for that if you want to
see feet. >> If you want to see feet. >> If you want to see feet. I saw this girl
say that she paid for like a car with selling feet pics and I was like, "Wow." >> many people say they paid for outrageous
things. >> I had a friend who sold feet pics. >> That's wild. >> And that's not like I'm saying like, my
friend >> Yeah, you're like, "Yeah, you're like, no, seriously." >> had a friend. I have my foot is too
distinguishable because I have a tattoo on it. >> yeah. >> Um and like it's my gran It's like has
to do with my grandma, so I could never sell feet pics. That'd be so [ __ ] up. >> Yeah, that would be weird as hell.
>> Yeah, that'd be real That'd be real bad. >> That would be real weird. >> Sorry if we sound congested.
We are in fact congested. >> It's been kind of a sick ward over here. I don't know if it's like This happens
sometimes. I feel like the changeover from winter to spring. >> Yeah. >> Sometimes it's like the mix of allergies
and then I think all the germs are like giving it that that one last like the winter germs are like giving it a last
go. >> One more punch. >> So everybody in my house got sick. But what was fun about this one
was we all got sick with different things. >> Yeah. >> Which made it very interesting. I
wouldn't say fun. It was interesting though. We had puking. We had ear infections. We had pneumonia. We had
weird colds. >> Yeah. >> We had um random nausea. We had and I just have a sinus thing going on. I
>> I swear I have a sinus infection. I went to urgent care and they were like, "You
don't have a sinus infection." I was like, "Cool. Why does it hurt when you touch my face then?
>> What's this about? >> like, "Ah, leave." But I was like, "Okay." >> Ah, leave.
>> Yeah, it's been So I think we just, you know, we're feel I'm feeling better today.
>> I feel much better today. >> But I apologize if I sound a little congested. I know I might Maybe I'm
alone in this, but whenever I hear someone sound sick, sometimes it can make me feel weird.
>> It's so funny whenever we have to record and she's like, "Oh, I sound sick." Like
it's going to be awful. I'm like, "I don't really like to think about that." Like I've definitely listened to pods
where people Yeah. don't sound A-OK and >> I just always feel bad cuz I'm like, "I
don't want you to feel gross while listening." >> Don't feel gross while listening.
>> feel gross. Feel good. Feel okay. >> You know what makes me feel gross? >> What?
>> The new [ __ ] Siri. >> Yeah. >> I have a bone to pick with her. >> Yeah, you really I don't feel as
strongly about that. >> It actually shocks me that you don't feel as strongly about this because the
second I I was I was I was by myself, which is actually weird cuz I feel like I'm always driving with you.
>> Yeah, cuz it's in the car. That's Siri. >> Yeah, it's the car Siri. The phone Siri
is fine. But, she's a [ __ ] She's a [ __ ] >> She just doesn't give a [ __ ] >> No, she reads my texts and she puts,
first of all, weird like em- emphasis on certain words that it doesn't make It's
like she's putting the wrong em- emphasis on the wrong syllable. And then also, I whenever she's like, "Hey, do
you want to respond?" Nine out of 10 times the answer is no, I don't want to respond.
>> She has a personal bone to pick with me about that. She goes, "Okay." >> That's Yeah.
>> "Okay." >> That honestly, I think that's why I thought she was so funny cuz because
>> her bitchery? >> No, it just cuz so it happened where I was like I I was going to answer
something and it was like, "Do you want to respond?" >> And you said, "Absolutely not."
>> I said, "No, thank you." Cuz I'm always polite. >> Oh, I I always say, "No, thank you."
>> Yeah, I always say, "Yes, please." I always say say, "No, thank you." >> rise of the robots comes up, I need them
to know that I was polite. >> Yeah, I don't want to be a bad guy. >> this won't age well for me, but
>> you know, I want them to know that I said, "Thank you." >> Yeah. >> But uh so I said, "No, thank you." And
she said, "Okay." And I And it was so jarring and shocking that it made me laugh. So, I think I was just like, "All
right, girl. You made me laugh." Like that was funny. >> It did not make me laugh. I looked down
at my radio like who the [ __ ] just spoke out of turn to me. >> so funny cuz you would think this would
be completely opposite. >> Completely opposite. >> That I would be like, "Who the [ __ ] are
you talking to?" >> Literally. >> reason, I was like, "Oh, okay. We have a thing, me and you, Siri."
>> Oh, no. >> Where where you pretend to be like, "Okay." >> Oh, I don't feel like she's pretending.
I feel like she's >> we're we have a thing. >> No, you don't. >> We have a funny joke between us.
>> just stop it. You don't. No. She's being rude to you in your own vehicle that you
pay for. That's See, I won't stand for that. That's why it's a it's a joke. >> I can't stand for that, either. I'm
trying to figure out how to change that [ __ ] >> think you can. >> I think I don't know. I don't like it. I
don't like it. Okay. >> How do you guys feel? >> Okay. >> How do you feel about your car Siri?
>> Yeah, did your car Siri change and you had no say? That's the other thing I didn't like that I didn't have a say in
it. >> Yeah, I don't I don't love it being It's like that U2 album being dropped on
everyone's phones. >> Oh, I hated that. >> Everybody was just really upset. >> you couldn't get rid of it either.
>> get rid of it. >> Um my That's the other thing, like my old Siri and I, she was like an older
lady. >> I know it. Like she had like older lady vibes. >> She does not have younger vibes.
>> on so well with older ladies. Like when I was at Disney, I made besties with like three different older ladies.
>> Drew was like, "What is happening?" >> I like I love older I love old biddies.
>> I love old biddies and old biddies love me. >> I love old biddies, too. >> I think me and old biddies like get each
other. >> Yeah. >> When I dressed up as an old biddy, when I dressed up as Miranda Priestly, I
never felt more myself. >> honestly, you never like you never felt more yourself to everyone else, too.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I I'm meant to be old, I think. >> I think so. >> I'm meant to be old.
>> You're meant to be elderly. >> It just That's what it is. It is what it do be.
>> Okay. Okay. Okay. >> Well, let's We're going to talk Oh, you know what? Before
>> more serious for a second? >> Yeah, because before we get into this uh tale harrowing tale of survival.
>> Oh, we love survival. >> that right up front. Um because it involves a baby. >> A baby.
>> Uh but survival. Um some crazy true crime news happened >> Yeah. >> that I just could not not mention. Um
they linked a new victim to Ted [ __ ] Bundy. >> That is shocking. >> shocking, but also not shocking because
he was so active. >> It's just And think this is why we always say like a cold case is never
cold. It's never It's never frozen solid because it's This was how This was from 1974.
>> Wow. >> And they were able to link him to it with DNA. >> That's actually nuts. It was 1974. The
victim is 17-year-old Laura Ann Ann Amy. She was from Utah. >> 17. >> 17 years old.
>> That's awful. >> Yeah. That's he was he was a lot more than a lot of people think.
>> Yeah. >> Uh she went missing on Halloween night. She was leaving a party. I think she was
just going to like a store. She never made it there and um they do think that he held her for some time alive.
>> Oh. >> Because she wasn't found until about a month later. She was found dumped on the
side of the road. She had been bound, beaten. >> Oh. >> he's a horrific monster.
>> Yeah. >> Um That's it's really sad. >> He Did he like usually hold his victims
for a period of time? I feel like I don't remember that. >> Uh no, I think a lot of his were uh
>> Like same he abducted them and killed them the same night, right? >> I think I'm sure I'm sure there were a
couple >> were variations, yeah. >> Yeah. Um and I think we're going to hear I wouldn't be surprised if we get more.
I think there was more that he he's wildly prolific. >> Yeah. >> Like wildly. >> You wish there was like a different word
cuz prolific like I know what you're saying. >> it sound uh >> Prolific sounds like a good thing, but
in that sense it's not. >> but it's no. >> But there's no other way to say it, you
know? >> that's just is what it means, but um I guess from that I could see he did
verbally acknowledge this >> Like >> um this victim like said connected to him. Um
he did acknowledge it before his execution. I'm not quite sure the the details of it. I'll go further into it
for sure. I want to take like a deep dive on this. >> Yeah. >> Um but obviously you need solid closure
cuz him he's a lying sack of [ __ ] >> Of course. >> So like him saying anything you're like
take that with about a ton of salt. >> Because their brains are so [ __ ] up they want to take quote unquote credit
for for for killing more people. >> But now DNA has definitively linked him. They were able to find one
um basically one instance of male DNA that matched him. >> Wow. >> That was found on her body, so.
>> It makes you like I hope the family feels some sense of I know closure is not really a real thing, but it I hope
they find something where at least they have answers now. >> they have answers. >> at the same time to find out that your
loved one was killed by Ted Bundy. I don't I think that would send you for like a whole new loop.
>> Well, that's the thing. I think they they probably are going through a whole other grieving process now because not
only was she killed, which you knew she was, you didn't know who, and now to find out that he's one of the most
infamous serial killers in history. >> And you know just how evil he is. There's a lot to process.
>> about what he's done to other people and like that must be >> Yeah. >> a whole different thing and honestly, I
hope they're they're able to stick together and get through it because that's rough.
>> That really is awful. >> But yeah, I just had to mention that because that was a really big deal.
>> That is absolutely awful. >> With that, we will get into our case for today, which is it's harrowing
>> but survivor story. >> a happy ending. >> Okay, good. >> And it really is a story about a
community coming the [ __ ] together. I will tell you that. >> what case you're telling me today. I
don't know anything about this. Elena and Mikey >> your time. >> Yes, it's before my time. Elena and
Mikey were talking about it and they were like, "You don't remember this?" And I was like, "No, guys."
>> Well, then I was like, "Oh yeah, it was like" and it was honestly, it was 1987,
so I was only a couple years old. >> Damn. But you remember it like >> But I remember like the cuz it they
talked about it in the years in the years after that and like you would see the news coverage and all that stuff, so
I wasn't cognizant of it while it was happening, but I remember seeing it afterwards and being like, "Oh shit."
>> Yeah, I hadn't heard about this until you guys >> Yeah. >> brought it up. >> We're talking about the the rescue of
baby Jessica McClure. Uh Uh, a lot of people who were born in the '80s and '70s especially are going
to be like, "Oh, yep, baby Jessica in the well." Uh, so I know this one. Um, but it's man, it's a harrowing
story. >> Yeah. >> I actually just saw someone and I was like, "What a weird coincidence cuz I
decided to do this case." And then I saw someone on TikTok, this like mom who was just sitting there
explaining the story to her daughter. >> Oh, really? >> And she was telling it in this like
really great I was like, "Damn, I I'll listen to the whole story when >> A cautionary tale.
>> And her daughter was like, "This didn't happen. Like that's not real." And she
was like, "No, it really happened. Like I'm telling you." And it was so funny to
hear somebody be like, "What? That didn't really happen." It's like, "No, it [ __ ] happened."
>> "No, it did." That's also so weird when you decide to do a case and then it just
like >> It pops up on >> you don't say it out loud, that often it comes on your timeline. You're like,
>> Yeah, hello. >> Cuz I wasn't really talking about this. >> No, we didn't talk about it a ton at
all. >> that it just came up. >> It makes you feel like life is a simulation. >> does. It's very weird. I like I'm
I don't like the outside of this simulation, but like I like my homies. >> You're like very insulated um
simulation you like? >> Yeah, like I like I like you, I like my husband and like my family.
>> my most of my family. >> My very micro uh, simulation is nice. >> Yeah. >> I don't know about all that.
>> All the rest of it. I'm like, "Damn, can you simulate something else?" >> Yeah, can we can we aid in that
simulation somehow? >> If anybody if my simulator is listening. >> Yeah, you know, I always like to say
things to my FBI agent who tries to scroll away from a specific TikTok. Does that happen to you ever?
>> Yeah. >> You'll be watching something and then it's like, "Whoop, nope." And you're
like, "Oh, babe." Sometimes I'm like, "Hey, no, I'm watching that." >> That's happening a lot to me lately.
A lot lately. And it's also on like the most innocuous videos. >> I'm like, "Let me watch this person
organize their pantry." >> watching a lady Easter egg Easter I was going to say Easter egg dye.
>> Yeah. >> I was watching this lady dye Easter eggs with her kids and they were like, "Nope,
not for you." >> you. >> I was like, "Okay, I I not." >> Uh, all jokes, calm down.
>> I mean >> Somebody's going to be like, "How dare you?" >> Whatever. >> Um, but let's begin with who, um,
who the family is, who Jessica's parents >> Okay, okay. >> So, uh, her parents were Chip and Reba
McEntire. >> Chip and Reba? >> Chip and Reba. >> Immediately sold for this story. Say no
more. >> And you know, things had never been like super easy for Chip and Reba, but they
hadn't been like awfully difficult. >> be easy for Chip and Reba. They're wholesome as hell.
>> They have a very like relatable story, I feel like for a lot of people. >> Okay.
>> Um, in 1987, they were new parents. And they were barely adults themselves. They
had both only recently turned 18 years old. >> Okay. >> Uh, they'd met years earlier and started
dating in high school. >> Oh, high school sweethearts. >> It's the high school sweethearts, and
Reba had become pregnant in 1986, and they had both dropped out of school. >> I understand.
>> Chip found work doing manual labor around Midland, Texas, but had been looking for something more reliable that
would allow him to support his family independently. Since they'd both left school, they'd
received like a good amount of financial and emotional support from Chip's parents.
>> Nice. >> Um, who, like many people around town, had done well financially during
Midland's oil boom in previous decades. >> know I love an oil boom. >> Right. So, Chip later said, "We didn't
know we were poor. Like, we just we never felt it." >> Yeah. >> Um, with his parents kind of helping out
with his income, Chip and Reba had been able to afford a small apartment and help and they it helped pay the bills.
>> Nice. >> Uh, he said money was never an issue. So, it seemed like they knew that like
they were kind of working hard for everything and that things weren't coming easy, but they were able to pay
the bills, which is great. >> Yeah, that's what more can you ask for? >> Compared to other people in Midland,
which had fallen into a recession since the oil bust of the mid-1980s, they were
doing pretty well, but they were still teenage parents. >> Yeah, that's tough. >> And that was never going to be easy for
them. >> Babies are [ __ ] expensive. >> Yeah. Chip had always been a good student and he had a lot of promise. He
was very smart. Um he said, "By the time I got to high school, I kind of found my
groove and was a little less of a nerd." >> Aw. >> Uh and I kind of liked high school.
Reba, on the other hand, was a little less enthusiastic about school and being pregnant only made things much more
difficult. >> sure you're like very self-conscious. >> Yeah. Chip said, "Being pregnant, she
really was having a rough time." Which I can imagine. >> is hard anyways. I can't imagine having
to get through it while pregnant. >> No. >> And girls are so mean to each other anyways.
>> Be nicer to each other, ladies. >> So it was Reba who decided to drop out of school first to focus on the
pregnancy and, you know, starting to raise a baby. >> Yeah. >> But it wasn't long before Chip himself
was considering the same option. He said, "I took my GED without even studying and passed."
>> Holy [ __ ] >> "Then I just went to work. It was the right thing to do." >> Okay, Chip.
>> "Damn, Chip." Uh once he found work and Jessica, baby Jessica, was born, things
started to calm down and they settled into a routine. >> I love what a '90s name Jessica is.
>> Oh, Jessica or Jennifer. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Or Ashley. Or all the same names. And
Britney. >> Yep. So thanks to Chip's father's uh share of oil royalties, Jessica never
wanted for anything. >> Oh, good. >> Uh and that generosity was frequently extended to Chip and Reba.
>> Nice. >> Um Chip later said, "We weren't living paycheck to paycheck." Which is again
huge. >> What good parents do to help their kids like that. >> kids and their grandkids.
>> Not everybody goes through that same thing when they find themselves young and pregnant.
>> Definitely not. >> We've all seen the show in fact. >> Exactly. Then in 1987, tragedy struck
when Chip's older brother Rod died of illness. >> Oh. >> Uh it was in May and around the same
time, the daycare center where Reba was employed had to close down. >> Oh, [ __ ]
>> The closure meant that not only was Reba now out of a job, but the parents who
were using that daycare, they were out of child's care. >> Yeah. >> So, Reba's sister, Jamie Moore, and Reba
were She had also worked at the daycare. They both were like, "What can we do to
help people?" Because like all these people just lost their daycare and they have to work.
>> Right. >> So, they were like, "What can we do to help with this?" So, they agreed to have
kind of like their own daycare at the house, but basically it was like they will just
watch these kids. >> Kind of like a makeshift daycare. >> like a makeshift like the two of them.
>> Nice. >> People could drop the kids off at Jamie's house, the sister, and we'll
just watch them until these parents can find a better solution. >> Okay, that's really
selfless. >> That's community right there. >> That's pretty rad. So, to make matters
worse though, Chip was growing a little frustrated by the lack of consistency in
his work as a day laborer because it is really inconsistent. >> For months he had been talking to the
owner of the Sportsman's Den, which was a local sporting goods store, and basically this guy was like, "Oh yeah, I
have a job. I'm going to hire you." But he kept kind of like stringing him along.
>> Yeah. >> And by October, the owner of that place was still dragging his feet, so Chip
just continued working as a day laborer until more was coming through. On the morning of October 14th, 1987,
Chip was working as part of a painting crew. He was painting a big apartment complex in Midland when he heard the
news announced that a child had fallen into a well somewhere in West Midland. And rescue workers were trying to get
her out. >> Oh, [ __ ] >> Chip literally remembers hearing that and thinking those poor people.
>> Oh. >> And it wasn't until 2 hours later, while Chip was eating his lunch back at the
office of the painting company, that the wife of the company owner told him, "Chip, I don't know how to tell you
this. Your daughter fell into a well and a police officer is on the way to pick you up."
>> Oh my god. >> was like, "I'm sorry, what? That's my daughter?" >> Oh my god. >> Yeah.
>> Also, just think like this is such a different time period. Like his wife couldn't frantically call him. And poor
Reba, like her daughter is in a well and she can't get in touch with >> Yeah, like it's not like she can just
call him on the cell phone or something. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Yeah. Horrifying. Now for Reba, the morning of
October 14th had started like any other day too since the daycare had shut down especially. She arrived early at Jamie's
house with Jessica and began greeting the other parents as they dropped off their children before heading to their
jobs or whatever they needed to do. Around 10:00 a.m. Reba was outside in the backyard watching the children play
when she heard the phone ring. Since the yard was fenced in and she was still able to see the children from the
kitchen window, she went inside and answered the phone. When Reba came back a few minutes later,
she saw several of the children near the back end of the yard standing around a well in Jamie's yard. Oh no. The well
had been drilled in the yard about 15 years earlier, but as far as Jamie knew, it hadn't been used in at least 15
years. And in the weeks and months after this whole thing, Jamie and her husband
insisted that this well had been capped. >> Oh. >> But it became a little unclear whether
it had been capped professionally, like a professional came in and actually capped it, or if it was just simply
covered, which is a little different. Yeah, but you know. >> According to Lunsford, and these are
people that will obviously be linked in the show notes, accounts vary on whether the well
opening had been covered with a rock or a flower pot. >> Okay. >> So it might not have been professionally
capped, but >> But it was still capped nonetheless. >> know that. This is all just conjecture.
Um it remains unknown exactly what happened in the couple of minutes that Reba was in the house on the phone. But
in that time, Jessica had wandered over to the well and fallen about 20 ft into the 8-in wide hole in the ground.
>> 8 in what? >> Yeah. At first, Reba called the kids away from the well and then she realized she
didn't see Jessica. Oh my god. Her moment of sheer terror was only exacerbated seconds later when she heard little
cries of Mommy, Mommy from 20 ft down in the ground and realized Jessica was trapped in the well.
>> And how old is she? >> She's like 18 months old. >> Oh my god. >> Reba told the reporter later, "I didn't
know what to do. I just ran in and called the police. They were there within three minute minutes, but it felt
like a lifetime." >> What This story gets hairier. >> I was going to say it already is.
>> Now, the first person to arrive on the scene was Midland police officer B.J. Hall, and when he flashed his light down
the well, it was too dark. He couldn't see anything. And he said he later recalled in like a I think it was a 2025
interview actually. He said, "I called the baby's name three or four times and didn't hear anything. Finally, I got a
cry in response. >> Oh. >> We didn't know how deep she was until we lowered a tape hooked to a flashlight
into the hole." Although it seemed impossible, it turned out that Jessica had somehow managed to
fit into the 8-in pipe and fallen exactly 22 ft down. The pipe actually went down a lot
further than that, but Jessica had come to a stop in a crouching position into a section of the
hall the well that had been eroded from runoff to become between 11 and 14 in. >> Oh.
>> One leg was pinned above her forehead. >> Oh. >> So, that's how she was stopped.
>> Oh my god. >> Below her, the pipe narrowed to 6 in, so it would have been impossible for her
to go further, but >> Yeah, but still she had made it down pretty [ __ ] far. >> down.
>> And her her leg is stuck in that position? >> her head, which is not good for blood
flow. >> No. >> Now, when Officer Hall realized how serious the situation was, he called the
station and asked for a rescue team to be assembled and dispatched to the house.
A short time after that, the team, which had Midland police and fire officers, as
well as utility and state highway workers, arrived at the house followed by a large or actually at this point it
was more like a medium number of local reporters and photographers. They'd all heard the news on the scanner.
Now, Chip McClure remembers arriving at the house a little after 12:30 p.m. Still confused and pretty dazed by the
news. >> Yeah, he's uh probably in shock. >> As far as he knew, his wife and daughter
weren't even supposed to be at Jamie's house that day. So, he was like this just felt like unfathomable that this
was happening. >> the fact they weren't even supposed to be there. >> As soon as he got there, he felt a hand
on his shoulder and heard the deep voice of Midland Police Chief Richard Check, who said, "Don't worry, son. We'll have
her out there out of there before too long." >> Oh. >> Now, by that time, rescue workers had
lowered a light, camera, and microphone into the well, which gave them the ability to not only see and hear
Jessica, but also to see the space where she was stuck. >> Okay. >> Unfortunately, a lot of the camera's
view was obscured by a pile of bamboo leaves that the children had dropped down the well after she fell.
>> Guys. >> It was later explained that and they were young. So, it was later explained
that they had been playing a game of throwing things into the well and then Jessica fell in and they just continued
to throw things in the well until they realized that like, "Oh, she's not coming out."
>> Oh, no. >> were young. Like they didn't understand like, "Oh, she's just going to come
out." >> Like they know. Now, before they could attempt any kind of rescue, emergency workers had a lot
of things to think about here. Thanks to the microphone, they were now able to know that just you know, Jessica
could tell them herself that she was not harmed in any acutely dangerous way. >> like 18 months old, so
>> she's she's saying like, "I'm not in pain." You know, you're like that. "I'm not bleeding." Like that kind of thing.
>> But, the position she's stuck with one leg essentially raised above her head could cause problems with blood flow
depending on how long she's in that well. >> Right. >> The next important thing to consider was
hypothermia. >> Oh. >> Obviously, that's not something you really have to worry about in Texas very
often, but the temperature in the well would have been a lot cooler than that at the surface.
>> Okay. >> So, there was a risk. And in order to test that, they Sergeant Andy and we're all going to have to get
past this name because we're we're adults, okay? >> we? >> Sergeant Andy Glasscock.
>> You have to get >> You need to get past >> need to get it out, everybody. I'm going
to give everybody listening right now a moment. Just get it. We're not adult None of us
are immune to a funny last name. >> Poor Andy. That must have been rough growing up.
>> None of us are immune to a funny last name, and if you are, then you are better than I am.
>> And man. >> Um but okay, so there it is. You got your moment. >> Okay. >> Andy Glasscock is here.
Um and he lowered a plastic thermometer down into the well. And he got a temperature reading of 65°.
>> Okay. >> So, that temperature it was not life-threatening >> Yeah, that's not so bad.
>> but it was going to get colder as the day went on and especially after dark. >> Yeah.
>> But just in in Nobody thought they would be there after dark, but they were like,
"You know what? Which again, they really this seemed like it was handled very well.
>> Like they like >> This They They didn't hesitate on anything, which is like really impressive at this
time. Like >> Especially, it doesn't always happen in cases like this. >> No, and it's like in this So, they they
were like, "You know what? I don't think she's going to be in there after dark. We want to get her the [ __ ] out of there
really fast. But they were like, "We need to do something to just have in place." So, someone placed a call to the
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company office, and a short time later, a large truck arrived with fans that blew low
currents of warm air down the well. >> Oh, that was smart. >> like hot air blasting at her it was just
like >> nice warm air >> just warm air so she would not start shivering and like you know
And Andy said I'm just going to call him Andy. Andy said everything we asked for
we got in minutes. >> Nice. >> It really was the the super fast impromptu attention from the local
community that turned this from a potential tragedy >> Yeah. >> into a national moment of like straight
up unity. Like it's it's when you hear how everyone came together and who just volunteered to do things it's like damn
it almost it especially with the way the world is right now it like it like had me almost
in tears cuz I was like I just want life to be like that again. >> I know. >> Where like people just help each other
out. That's the thing I know there are like if you look hard enough people are there for each other and
people jump in for each other and people do this. >> We're just in a time where more
harrowing terrible >> Yeah. >> examples are being shared. >> And I think like with social media we're
like so bombarded with the worst of people >> Yeah, that we don't always get the best.
>> like like so much so that like we'll post this episode and I'm like I hope everyone's nice.
>> Yeah. >> Because it's like you know what I mean like what you guys usually are you
always got that like one [ __ ] who pops in just to be a dick. But it's like that's what it's like this you can't you
can't look around and not see negativity. >> Yeah and that nastiness and like you
can't always depend on humanity so it's nice to see examples where they could depend on the humanity in everyone.
>> I just want us to be there again where like you're where you're shocked by like
negativity you know what I mean like where you're like what the [ __ ] is this person doing? Where now I feel like it's
just you're like oh well we're going to get some [ __ ] who just has a bad day and wants to take it out on everybody.
>> It's the anonymity of everything. >> So it's like this social media I just feel like I'm I'm hoping I keep seeing
like that pendulum swinging the other way where people are just not putting up with it anymore and seeing the dangers
of it and I'm hoping that keeps swinging. I hope so, too because you're all great. Everybody listening.
>> Uh but yeah, so I this really is one of those things though that you're just like damn. I love a story like that
though. This will This will honestly it'll make you say I wish things were like this, but then it will make you say
but if I look hard enough it is like this. Like there are people like this. So because none of the adults had seen
Jessica fall into the well, they had no idea how she'd managed to get that far down in the first place. But what they
did know was that however she gotten in was definitely not the way they could get her out.
>> Right. >> It was just too far down. After about an hour after B.J. Hall had arrived at the
scene, work crews had attempted to drill a a wider hole in order to reach her. >> Okay.
>> But the vibrations from the drilling had caused her to slip a little further.
So although the pipe beneath her like we said before was too narrow for her to really fall too much deeper,
they were worried that you know any further drilling at the site might have collapsed the well entirely and that
would kill Jessica. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> So based on their early experience with
drilling, it became pretty clear to rescue workers that they were facing a situation way more complicated than what
they had expected. Basically any attempt to drill down into the earth with standard construction
tools could make the situation fatal. >> Wow. >> honest. The first problem was the way
she was positioned. It made it impossible to pull her directly up and out. >> Because of her leg.
>> Because of her leg. She was just wedged in a weird way. Um and the more significant problem though was uh
geology. >> Yeah. >> Essentially directly underneath the pretty soft sandy soil that was above
the water table in the ground, there was a deep layer of limestone bedrock that had developed during an
extremely dry like period that was oh, I don't know roughly a hundred million years earlier.
>> Yeah. >> Uh so that layer of rock had developed and compressed to the point over a
hundred million years that it literally couldn't be penetrated by common drill bits.
>> That makes sense. >> Just couldn't. So not only would the repeated attempts result in an endless
stream of broken and burned out drill bits, but they would cause small tremors in the ground and each one would
destabilize an already really precarious situation in the well. >> Yeah, that's not great. I also just felt
like I was in like geology class again. >> Yeah. >> That's awesome. Bedrock and [ __ ]
>> Now as the day wore on and it became apparent that things were going to be longer than they originally thought, the
rescue team now had new things to think about. >> Okay. >> Using a 40-ft rigging drill, they
determined they could dig a parallel shaft down into the earth right next to the well.
>> Um and then tunnel across and up to access Jessica from below. >> Okay, even that is like wild.
>> Yeah. >> Impressive. >> That would be a difficult job under normal circumstances, but in this case
they're going to have to move agonizingly slow >> to not disturb anything or vibrate the
earth, right? >> So yeah, they couldn't make that happen. So rescuers had to move incredibly slow
drilling about 4 in per hour. >> Oh my god. >> And stopping every few minutes to make
sure everything was stable and that Jessica was still doing okay. >> 4 in per hour.
>> Yeah. At that rate it would take more than 3 days to reach her. Assuming they worked around the clock.
>> How is that even doable? >> It's well no one thought it was going to take that
long, but it would take longer than expected. They were like no, we're going to make this
happen faster than that. >> going to like be starving and like dehydrated? >> Well, definitely dehydrated. You can go
that long without eating, won't feel good, but like >> She's such a little baby.
>> I I So they had solved the issue of hypothermia with the fans from Southwestern Bell, but now that she was
expected to be down in the well for at least a day or more, there were more risks now.
Given the scope of what they were planning to undertake here, it was no longer just a matter of Jessica's
safety. Although some of the men at the scene were experienced in mining or working in
the like small spaces, working in such a small space meant that air was going to
be limited not just for Jessica, but for everybody else. >> Oh. >> So, who would think of that?
>> Yeah, like that who would have thought of that? So, to ensure the proper flow
of oxygen, they lowered air hoses into the well and into the parallel shaft as well, which
connected to a rescue vehicle on the surface that was providing oxygen. >> Wow, that's fascinating.
>> Yeah. You know, by that afternoon, several other experts had been called to the
scene, including several mining experts flown to the scene from Carlsbad on a private jet paid for by Midland Oil.
>> Wow. >> And Dr. Chip Clunic, an emergency room doctor from nearby Midland Memorial
Hospital. >> Oh, [ __ ] >> While the mining experts were kind of helping to come up with the best
strategy to dig the second the second shaft, the parallel one, the doctor was on hand to provide
insight on how to make sure Jessica was going to be okay from the surface. >> Right.
>> Obviously, the most pressing issues were related to, you know, oxygen. We were
talking about food and water. The matter of oxygen was now settled and it was unlikely that Jessica was going to
starve. >> Yeah. >> It wasn't again, not great, but she wasn't going to starve to death. So,
that left hydration because that's the more pressing one. At first, emergency workers planned to send a bottle of
water down the shaft. >> Oh. >> But that plan was called off when Dr. Clunic pointed out, which was very smart
of him to point out, that they had no way of knowing whether she had suffered any internal injuries and that could be
highly exacerbated by consuming food or drink. >> Oh, [ __ ] >> Instead, he suggested they hold off on
sending anything else to Jessica, but added that they would need to reconsider if it went on for very much longer. But
he's trying to He's like, I This is going to make it so much worse. Um and Midland police I know. Midland
police spokesman Jim White told reporters the emergency room doctor at the scene said the baby can last as long
as 36 hours. We hope it doesn't take that long. >> Yeah. >> Now they're on like a time clock, like
big time. By the next morning, Jamie Moore's backyard and front yard, along with the
surrounding neighbors' yards, were just crawling with emergency workers, reporters, onlookers. There were three
major networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, and their local affiliates, as well as the newly established cable news network
CNN. >> Newly established, wow. >> Yeah, it had only been in operation for 7 years at that point.
>> And they had not found like a foothold really in the television market, which
is wild to think of. >> Yeah, that is. >> Since the, you know, since television news had kind of happened, like four or
what, like four decades before this, viewers had become accustomed to getting their morning news from the local
papers. >> Okay. >> And the evening news came via the evening editions and the local and
national night nightly news. So it was like, you got a little You got little bloops of news. You didn't get
round-the-clock news. >> I remember so vividly like my parents just watching the
nightly news. It was not on We did not have a news station on in our house all day because there wasn't one.
Like it just They sat down, they got a little digest of what was going on in the world, and then that was it.
You weren't bombarded with every single thing that is happening in the world. >> to me because like my whole life I just
remember news was on in the morning, news was on in the afternoon, news was on at night.
>> It is in my personal, this is just my opinion, Yeah, I think it's so This is my
opinion. I think it's so much better for your nervous system. >> too. I don't think we were meant to know
everything all the time. >> I don't want to know everything that's going on. I take news breaks.
>> I need to It's >> If I go on vacation, I take a full break from the news. >> a little digestible little
little appetizer, you know? >> Yeah. >> But, yeah, it was rough. Um so, basically, few people saw the need for
around-the-clock news channel cuz they were like, "No, this is working pretty well. We don't need to know."
Um because as far as most people were concerned at this point at this point in time in the '80s, there couldn't
possibly be that many news stories that required such a high level of ongoing coverage.
>> Wow. >> like, "Why do I need that?" >> That's nuts. >> What the channel needed was an
opportunity to prove its value to viewers. In the story of Baby Jessica, CNN president Ted Turner saw precisely
that. >> Yeah. >> Um who was it the reporter Mark Rone wrote in 2021, "The ongoing developments of a
living, breathing baby trapped helplessly underground would help shape a 24-hour news cycle that people could
connect with at any moment of the day." >> Hey. >> Well, the story was certainly enough to
capture the attention and obviously the sympathies of the entire [ __ ] nation. The fact remained that the rescue
operation itself was so [ __ ] slow that there wasn't even that many updates. It's like
>> going to say >> "We're still trying to get her out of the well. We got 4 more inches into the
ground. Yep, we're we're getting there." Instead, the press focused on the human
story at the center of the >> I'm sure, yeah. >> They talked to family members, neighbors, members of the community who
had pitched in to help. Um Pat Brister, who was one of the neighbors, told the reporter, "You don't get tears as long
as there's hope." >> Yeah, that's nice. >> Um her their their comment underscores
how invested everyone had come in this rescue effort. And like another neighbor, Maxin Sprague, described for
reporters how the whole thing had unfolded. And they said, "My god, Jessica's fallen into a well. And he
said that I can just remember Reba, like my neighbor saying my baby has fallen into a well. And he said she was
hysterical. She was yelling, but I would too. That's her child. When they ran out
of neighbors and family members to talk to, reporters shifted to talking to the rescuers who were not actively trying to
rescue Jessica at the moment. Like the neighbors and onlookers, the rescuers also emphasized that there was this
spirit of hope and community that they had never seen before and that reporters just couldn't get enough of.
>> Yeah. >> Oscar Robinson, who was the owner of a local excavation company, told reporters
how he'd volunteered his equipment as soon as he heard about the emergency. And that was like a big sacrifice for
him because he was losing thousands of dollars >> Yeah. >> by not renting those machines.
>> I'm sure, yeah. >> didn't mind. And when they asked him about it, he said I have grandchildren
of my own. >> Aw. >> And I was like, >> He said that's a baby in that well. >> baby down there.
>> Aw. >> Now, those who didn't have any particular expertise to offer still gathered around the the property to just
stand vigil and show their support. One supporter said I've got a grandson here that's just about twice as old as that
little girl. I can feel for that mama. >> Aw. >> Several people visited the site a bunch
of times throughout the day either to check on the progress or just to show support for the family.
Um Midland resident Hedy Bohannon said, "I've just been praying, praying constantly."
Um she and a friend had stopped by the site twice on the 15th to be with their community and she said I couldn't
imagine it happening to me. Now, it's not difficult to understand why, you know, this would capture
people's attention. It's an emergency rescue of a baby >> Right. >> Right. >> But the response was
a lot greater than anybody expected to be honest. Um Mark Bone said for those miles and miles away from Midland, the
real-time live images made them feel present right there with that child and her parents in this horrific situation.
People felt that by watching they were helping with some viewers even skipping work to watch TV until they knew she was
rescued. It was like a big like no one could take even a second out of their day to not
they were like we need to not see the end of this. Like I need to see her rescued before I can like lay my head
down. Now while the crew of rescuer workers drilled down to reach Jessica, Reba,
Chip, and countless others did their best to just keep her distracted and occupied cuz we couldn't just leave her
in there like with no one talking to her. When Jessica wasn't napping or crying she could be heard singing verses of
Winnie the Pooh to herself. Which makes me want to cry. I just got like a lump in my throat.
>> Cuz she's just like like self self-soothing. >> Or she was just talking to her mom.
>> Which I love Winnie the Pooh so much too. >> Detective Bill Seago told a reporter on
the afternoon of October 15th um she's done a little crying, a little singing. I would say 80% of the time she was
either crying or making some kind of noise we could hear. And then our friend Andy there said when
we weren't calling words of encouragement we tell her to sing for us. Which like
Andy, I'm dying. >> Yeah, sing Winnie the Pooh girl. >> In the early morning hours of October
16th the slow meticulous drilling finally paid off a little. By sunrise the rescue crew managed to dig about 6
ft lower than where Jessica was stuck. Then they dug slightly across up and across
drilling out an 18-in hole into the old well. The achievement came as a surprise to
the worker operating the drill who didn't expect success to be honest. A spokesman Jim White said he was leaning
against not particularly expecting to get through this time and all of a sudden it gave.
>> Nice. >> Now the hole in the wall of the well gave them access to Jessica but it still
didn't get them enough room to get her out. >> Oh, okay. >> The second shaft was only about 14
inches wide and given the position Jessica was stuck in, there wasn't a lot of room for the rescuer to reposition
her. >> Okay. >> So, as it was, there was only one man at the scene who was paramedic Robert
O'Donnell who was slender enough to fit into the hole that led to Jessica. Andy later said, "It's so damn
frustrating when you can hear her down there and you can't do anything about it."
>> Right. >> And he was the one that was trying to get her out of the well, Robert
O'Donnell, and he was able to get down there, he just couldn't shimmy her out. >> Right.
>> Um and that first failure to free Jessica from the well came as just a a wild disappointment to everyone.
>> Uh but Robert O'Donnell took it the hardest at that moment. From the moment rescue workers arrived at the scene days
earlier, at this point, stress and pressure had been building and everyone was just emotionally and physically
exhausted. They knew what it meant if they couldn't get Jessica out. >> Yeah. >> And for O'Donnell, their first failed
attempt was just soul-crushing. He was sitting on the curb and he just broke down sobbing.
>> Oh. >> And he told his wife, "She's right there. I can't get to her." >> imagine that level of
frustration. >> on me and I can't get her." >> Yeah, that's a lot of pressure. >> And that just like shatters my soul for
him because >> baby is right there and she's in pain and her leg is stuck and she hasn't
eaten, like poor little babe and the poor rescuers. >> It's just >> It's an impossible situation.
>> And it's like you can hear like our our our guy Andy being like, I she's right
there. Like we can hear her, we can see her and we just can't get her. >> Right.
>> And then he's saying the same thing, Robert O'Donnell, he's like, "I can literally touch her and I can't get her
out." Like >> Right. >> And if I don't get her out, she's going to die in a well. And her parents are
just going to deal with that. >> And he feels like it's it's somehow like his responsibility even though he's
being very brave going down there in the first place. >> Yeah. >> Now, at the time, several of the
paramedics and doctors at the scene questioned whether it was wise for O'Donnell to get back in the shaft a
second time because he is a he had experienced such an emotional shift. At that point, he was like inconsolable.
>> Yeah. >> But no one was willing to hold him back, either, and he wasn't having it.
>> Okay. >> According to Lance Lundford, those who knew O'Donnell best say this was the
moment that changed his life. He would never be the same person again. Now, it wasn't just O'Donnell who first
felt defeated. Nearly everyone at the scene started to wonder whether hope and effort at this point had been for
absolutely nothing. >> Yeah. >> CNN's Tony Clark said, "As the hours went on, you thought the chances of her
surviving were less and less." From the moment the rescue effort began, everyone seemed super confident that
despite the insanity of this situation and these significant obstacles, they were going to get Jessica out. But by
the third day, confidence was starting to slip, and people were beginning to accept that it was possible that she may
die in that well. >> Oh my god. >> Now, on the evening of October 17th, Robert O'Donnell went back into the
shaft and crawled through the hole that led to Jessica. And this time, he brought several jars
of KY jelly with him, like Vaseline. >> Okay. >> And he reached in with his his arms, and
he started slathering it all over the walls of the well, >> Smart. >> hoping that it would free her from her
position a little better and not have her like scratch against things. >> Right.
>> But, and this is just like I'm I'm so glad that he's such like a good human. Like, he has such a good
human heart cuz like No, I wouldn't have thought of this, either. He said when he
pulled on her foot, her shoe came off in his hand, and he heard Jessica say, "No." And she began kicking her foot at
him, like, "No." >> Oh. And it occurred to him she had no [ __ ] clue what was happening at that
moment. >> Oh my god, and she probably thinks it's like a monster. >> like he she has no idea what is below
her trying to grab her. So, he stopped his grabbing, and he reached up to touch her face so she could feel his human
hand. >> Oh. >> And he called out to her using the family nickname that they used for her,
which was Juicy. >> Juicy >> Juicy Jessica >> Isn't that adorable? >> I'm obsessed.
>> She was so cute. >> god, I have already looked at pictures. The cutest little babe.
>> was saying like using her nickname and like showing her that like he's a human
being like trying to like soothe her. >> trying to help you. >> And finally after pulling for a few
minutes, Jessica slipped through the hole in the side of the well and into Robert O'Donnell's hands.
>> What a good man. >> It like gave me I was like tearing up. >> man. >> Now on the surface, there was a moment
of panic as the microphone went dead and no one could hear Jessica anymore cuz she was just chattering away before.
>> Yeah. >> And Andy remembers thinking in that moment, "Oh my god, she might be dead."
>> Right. >> Then there was this huge surge of like just triumph when O'Donnell emerged from
the shaft and handed Jessica off >> Oh. >> to a paramedic Steve Forbes. After 58
hours in a well, Jessica McClure was finally free. >> 58 hours >> 58 hours >> That is beyond
>> unthinkable. >> A little baby girl, not even What is 18 months? >> That's barely over a year.
>> I was going to say that's not Is that two? Hello? >> No. No, that's not two. 24 is two.
>> Yeah. >> Clearly I'm not a mother. >> Yeah, you would Then you'll start counting in months after that.
>> Exactly. >> Now when the moment finally came, this big cheer erupted from the hundreds of
rescue workers and onlookers who had waited anxiously for this moment. Jessica was carried to a nearby
ambulance where Reba waited, and they were rushed to Midland Memorial Hospital, and her father was close
behind in a police car. And although she had managed to survive, she was not without injury, obviously.
>> leg has been over her head that long. >> And she's lost She lost 15% of her body
fluids, and she was seriously dehydrated. >> Yeah, I knew that was going to happen.
>> were low despite what they were trying to do, and more importantly, because of
the loss of circulation in her leg, she had developed gangrene in her foot. >> Oh, [ __ ]
>> emergency room, doctors were concerned they would need to amputate her leg. >> Oh, no.
>> Before any of that though, she was placed in a hyperbaric chamber where oxygen was forced into her lungs
essentially, and it would be several days before they knew whether or not they were going to be able to have do
surgery. >> That must have been so scary for her, too, because >> Now she's in another chamber.
>> Exactly. >> Yeah. Now outside of Midland, it seemed like the entire world had
stopped to celebrate Jessica's rescue. Across the United States, all the major networks interrupted their regular
broadcast to announce that the girl had made it out of the well alive, >> Aw. >> proving that all the community support
and effort had indeed made a difference. And CBS's Bruce Hall said, "It's events
like this that restore your faith in humanity. >> Yeah. >> You can literally feel the love and
prayers for this little girl." >> Aw. >> Now in the hours after that, regular progress updates about Jessica's
condition were announced as soon as they came in. Um Dr. Carolyn uh Carolyn Rhodes said in
a press conference that evening, "Considering everything Jessica's been through, she's a very spunky little girl
and she's doing great." >> love that. What a queen. >> She also described the extent of
Jessica's injuries. She had dropped from 21 lb to a little over 17. >> Wow. >> She had some scrapes and bruises, and
she said there is a danger that she could lose the right foot. >> Okay. Oh, well, now it's just down to
the foot. >> down to the foot. And she spent more than a month in the hospital where she
was stabilized and received several skin grafts after surgeons amputated just her
little toe on her right foot. >> Okay. >> They were able to do that. >> even think we need a little toe.
>> They were able to save I mean, it's good to have for stabilization, but you know,
>> You have you have foot wounds, you know. >> They were able to save the rest of her
leg though. Her leg was saved, her foot was saved, but just the little toe, which I think she'll take at this point.
>> think you should get a discount on pedicures. That's nine toes, not 10. >> if she does.
>> Yeah, they should be giving her that. >> on your pedicure thing, give her a >> Yeah, give Jessica a discount.
>> Now, the story of baby Jessica is as much about the media and audiences as it
is about this little baby girl trapped in this terrible situation. In the wake of her rescue, Jessica became kind of a
celebrity appearing at local events and on news programs and even taking a trip to the White House to meet then
President George W. Bush in 1989. >> Dubya. >> When Ronald Reagan reflected on the
event, he said, "Everybody in America became godmothers and godfathers of Jessica while this was going on."
>> Yeah. >> Um while the story of baby Jessica had a happy ending, it wasn't always so
positive. >> Oh. >> Uh some conservative politicians used this accident as an opportunity to
attack working mothers. >> Nice. That's awesome. >> pretty great. >> Love to see that.
>> Uh using Jessica's experience as an example of negligence and the many dangers of day cares.
>> Oh, [ __ ] off. >> Which is like don't do that. >> No, her mama was right there.
>> It can happen This kind of [ __ ] can happen in a blink. >> Um but kids >> Kids are
>> get into [ __ ] >> Yeah, so easily. You look away for 1 second, which is everybody has to have
that like >> Exactly. >> not this happen obviously, but have something happen where you're like,
"Fuck." >> Yeah, it was a convergence of events that was just, you know, a tough
situation. >> Yeah. >> Now, back in Midland, resentment grew between some of the rescuers and the
volunteers as well. Basically arguing who who had more of a of a of a family here.
>> and you figured it out. >> Yeah. Pat yourselves >> on the back and go about life.
>> they The two groups eventually formed their own associations and went on to have a pretty public fight over the
television rights to the story. >> What the [ __ ] >> So, like people are always going to be
>> That's the thing. >> I'm like, "Why can't you guys just appear together?" >> Um Rob Robert O'Donnell told the New
York Times, "I hate to see it split the rescuers like this." >> Yeah. >> "But our story is the real story. We
were the major players." >> Okay. >> So, like he's saying like I think he's also saying like this sucks that it's
being split like >> Yeah, I think he's also probably like hey I went down in a hole and saved that
child so like if I was Robert O'Donnell I'd be like you guys can all shut up because it was me.
>> Cuz it was me. Uh but most tragic of all is O'Donnell himself who was very quiet and very
private before the incident. >> Oh. >> His rescue of Jessica thrust him into the spotlight and made him an American
hero like in a blink. >> Um to everyone's surprise Robert embraced his new role as a recognizable
hero and he he was fine with the attention at first. >> Okay. >> But as is generally the case the
spotlight eventually fades and people stopped recognizing him. And to make matters worse he was developing PTSD
>> I mean I'm sure. >> related to the rescue effort and he turned to some stuff to cope. He just
was struggling a little bit. >> lot. >> A few years later he was fired from the Midland fire depart uh fire department
for showing up to work under the influence. >> Oh. >> So he was struggling. >> That's sad.
>> He has a very tragic story. >> Yeah. >> In 1993 he moved in with his parents and
tried to get sober and start a new life in Huntsville. He found a job working with prisoners at Ellis unit and things
started going in the right direction. He was really going like he was moving on up.
>> Yeah. >> Unfortunately though on the night of April 23rd, 1993 which is not long after
the incident >> No. >> he experienced some kind of emotional setback that remains unclear to those
who knew him. And that night after watching the wall-to-wall coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing on the news
>> Oh. >> which >> probably some kind of PTSD. >> He used his father's shotgun to end his
life. >> Oh. >> Which is like really tragic. >> Yeah, that's horrific. >> His brother Ricky said nobody really
knew what he had done with the Jessica rescue down there in Huntsville and they didn't care and he didn't like just
being a regular person again. >> Well cuz he's not just a regular person. It's really tough. I mean
he went through all that emotional [ __ ] during the rescue where >> Where like the failure and then the
triumph and then you're thrust into the spotlight. You're a hero and you're this
and you're that and then you're no one. >> Yeah, that's a lot. >> know like that must be a really tough
emotional and you're dealing with PTSD from the whole thing, which is something that I'm sure a lot of people listening
can relate to. >> Yeah. >> And it's like that's a [ __ ] demon that is really tough to overcome.
>> to get sober is such a feat. >> and then have to be wall-to-wall coverage of this tragedy that's
happening, which again I just don't think we're meant to see wall-to-wall news coverage. I really don't think we
are. >> of people like I think when you gain hope it's such a it's so precarious because you gain hope
and you're like, oh I see like all the good in the world and then one little thing can tear you down.
>> And that's that's why and I'm not meaning for this to be like a PSA of of wall-to-wall 24-hour news cycle.
>> it's it's a theme in the story. >> think it's like it shows you that like we're not meant to see all the horrible
[ __ ] that's happening into the in the world. We're just not meant to absorb all of it all the time.
>> And I know that like and I'm not trying to say like you need to turn a blind eye
and you need to like do all this cuz that please know that that's not what I'm saying. If that's what you take from
this, you took that from this. >> Yeah, and you're wrong. >> And that's I'm saying like when it like
you just said, you get this like bit of hope and then something will slide in something even innocuous or something
that's could be seemingly innocuous to someone else that'll just [ __ ] destroy it all.
>> Right. >> And it's like that's tough. We're only humans. We only have the mind of human
beings. We only have the emotional capacity of human beings and it's okay if it's [ __ ] hard to digest all the
[ __ ] that's coming in all at once. And it's okay to step back a little bit. >> Yeah, and you need it a little
Please know that's why it's so important to have an outlet. >> Yeah. >> Like I right now am in such like I've
been in such a rut and I'm really turning to like creative outlets to try to kind of get out of that rut and I
really do think there's so much importance in that. Like you do have to find something to let yourself go in.
>> Yes. Because [ __ ] is bleak right now. >> Like that's why we're always talking
about like romanticizing little things and like >> you know, the the soft jazz in the
morning, the [ __ ] like just pretending you're the main character while you're on a walk. Like anything
that just makes it a little better. >> I just got I got some clay, so I want to start kind of like sculpting and
>> And that can take you into such a nice regulated place. >> And I love I love like
>> Yeah. >> What do they say? Like idle hands get you the devil's plaything. >> Oh, I don't really love that, but
>> But like don't have idle hands. >> Yeah, I don't want to have idle hands. >> No. Like once
something that like can take your mind away and don't feel shame for needing to take it. A lot that's the other thing
with social media. People will make you feel like if you're not fully absorbing everything 24 hours a day just being
blasted at you like a fire hose, that you're some kind of [ __ ] person if you need a minute to just like step back.
>> We're not meant to. >> I don't think you are. >> not meant to. >> We're and it's okay if you need a minute
to sit there and do some clay and watch something silly or just listen to some nice music.
>> Get away from your phone for a little bit. >> Yeah. >> I just want you to know that cuz I keep
seeing people like just you know >> Well, you just have to think >> and emotionally feeling then it's like
You have to >> You have to think there's never been a time >> No. >> where we've just been like we are truly
glued to these devices. Like they are they are like on our hands 24/7. If they're not in our hands, they're in our
car. Like they're with us 24/7 and you got to put that away for a little bit and like
ground yourself. >> feeling. >> Yeah, you just got to ground yourself every now and again.
>> Consider it your your little moments of of analog. Just >> have some analog moments.
>> Yeah, I love that. >> Analog moments. Just sit outside, sit in the quiet. >> Yeah.
>> Just read a book, do a granny hobby, do a little creative thing. >> a granny hobby.
>> it analog, babe. Take away Put your phone somewhere else. >> Exactly. >> Just don't You don't have to have like
technology going. >> Nope. >> Or if like, you know, like >> like a silly movie or a TV show in the
back, whatever, but like >> like just have your analog moments. And don't And don't apologize for it. Have
them. >> I'm here to tell you right now, you deserve it. You do. >> You deserve it.
>> Everybody needs like 100% me time. >> You deserve it. You're only on this earth for so long. You deserve your
little moments of peace, and don't let anyone tell you that you don't. >> Exactly.
>> is telling you you don't, [ __ ] them. That's what I have to say about that. >> Just kick them in the shin.
>> I've been thinking about it a lot lately. >> Me, too. No, I feel I feel exactly the
same. >> to me. >> Uh it's really heartbreaking though, that >> It is. That's the thing, and that's why
I feel so horrible for Robert O'Donell, cuz he was a hero. >> He was. >> And I think it just It spiraled out of
control, and I feel really bad. But as for Jessica, she has literally zero memory
>> Oh, that's so good. >> event that shaped and profoundly affected her entire life.
>> Yeah, that's so good though. >> She later said, "I learned about it when I was four."
>> Okay. >> And watched it on Rescue 911 at my stepmother's house. >> Awesome. >> And she said, "It was overwhelming. I
remember crying." >> Yeah. >> And she said, I guess her stepmother was like, "You do realize that's about you."
>> Yeah. >> Like that's your story. That's you. You're baby Jessica. >> Right. >> And her dad said, "We were waiting until
she was a little bit older to tell her." >> Yeah. >> And she has since then read a great deal
about the rescue operation. >> be such a mindfuck, because you don't remember that, but you're like, "Oh, I'm
watching me." >> Well, and that's And she said it still feels remote. >> I'm sure.
>> doesn't feel like it's her. And she said, "It didn't affect me the way it affected other people. I lived it, but I
didn't watch it. That's got to be wild. >> Which is so weird. And after the incident, a trust fund was established
in the amount of 1.2 million from donations made by people all around the world.
>> Nice. >> Uh as she grew older, she was which like get it together, people. She was an
occasionally picked on by her classmates. >> For what? >> If you're picking on somebody for
falling in a well when they were 18 and them being rescued, >> How do you even like what's the material
there? >> together. That's what I'd be like, "Oh my god." >> Oh my god, you fell into a well?
>> Oh, just just got >> Well faller. >> didn't die. Like I What? What are you making fun of her for? She's a [ __ ]
>> I just I don't get that. >> She's she's a national treasure at this point. Like Baby Jessica, don't If
you're making fun of Baby Jessica, get out of here. >> "Fuck you. I united Texas."
>> But she has a pretty positive outlook on the whole thing. >> Good. >> She graduated from high school in 2004,
which I said, "Yeah, yeah." >> You said, "Same, girl." >> I said, "Yeah, girl." And the following
year, she married Danny Morales, whom she met through her sister. >> love. >> He was 13 years old and in 1987 and
remembered watching the coverage on television. And he said, "They stopped the whole game to say Baby Jessica had
been rescued. It was pretty cool." >> Oh my god. >> Today Little did he know that was his
wifey for life. And today they have two children who are now old enough to learn
about the incident in school. When she was asked what lessons she hopes her kids take away from the story, she said
to always be humble and to remember that if you look hard enough, there are so many good people in the world.
>> Aw. >> And I think that is such a good >> Perfect place to end. >> like way to look at that cuz like we
were talking about, it's so easy to see the bad. >> Yeah. >> So easy. That is easy.
>> hard enough, >> is being launched at you >> Yeah, like a t-shirt gun. >> Yeah.
>> 24/7 >> Yep. >> And I know that's overwhelming cuz I feel it. >> It is. >> But if you look hard enough and only
tunnel vision your way into some good, you will see it. You will. It's everywhere.
>> Do you know what else is good? >> What? >> I remembered the fun fact this time.
>> Cuz yeah, okay. Sorry. >> I think we've missed the fun fact the last couple times. It's because this is
new and sometimes we're just dinguses. >> we just forgot that we were doing it. >> of the war zone of of viral plague that
has been happening in my house and around us lately, I think we just got a little like overwhelmed and it just did
not occur to me >> occur to me at all. >> Yeah. So thank you for reminding us and
I promise we will not forget again. >> I'm that Well, I'm not going to promise that cuz we might forget again, but
we'll do our best. >> I'm going to put like a little thing up that tells us. >> Oh wow, she's holding true to this.
Listen to this [ __ ] >> I'm not going to let you down again. Well, listeners. >> Such a Capricorn. I'm like, we might let
you down again. >> Like we won't. >> Um this is the best fun fact, so I don't even know if we need like we might just
read this fun fact to you. >> Just over and over. >> The oldest living land animal on Earth
is a 192-year-old tortoise named Jonathan. >> It's the Jonathan. It's the Jonathan.
>> It's the Jonathan. >> A 192-year-old turtle named Jonathan. >> said, "I am Jonathan."
>> So wait, when was he born? >> Damn. >> 2026 minus 192 1834 this [ __ ] was birthed.
>> Holy [ __ ] And he's just still roaming. What's his secret? >> Being a turtle.
>> Jonathan, if you're listening, tell us your secret. >> Wait, literally like why do turtles live
so long? I'm going to Google >> really like to know that cuz I'm like, why are we not taking advantage of this?
Yeah. We take advantage of everything else as humans. Why are we not doing that?
>> low stress. Oh. This is from Google. It says, "Turtles have exceptionally long
lives due to a combination of slow metabolisms, low stress lifestyles, and high cellular resistance to aging, often
referred to as negligible uh senescence." >> Hm. >> They quickly repair DNA, resist cancer,
and protect themselves with hard shells. So it allows them to live for over 100 years with some species showing very few
signs of aging. >> Wow. >> Oh, that's really cool. >> is a part of that because I feel like
that goes along >> That was our message. >> this message so well cuz stress will
[ __ ] kill you. >> Your hobby, your granny hobby can be your hard shell. >> It really should be your hard shell.
>> hard shelling right now. >> Yeah, I'm analoging, I'm hard shelling, I'm tortoising right now.
>> Please leave me alone. >> This is really cool and a research indicates that they quickly kill off
damaged cells. >> Interesting. >> why they don't really end up getting cancer very often.
>> what the You wonder what the what the evolutionary process is there. >> The process is called apoptosis.
>> Oh, yeah. >> So they Yeah, they just resist it. >> But it's like why why do they?
>> I don't know. >> Damn, that's interesting. That is a fun fact. They also take many years to reach
sexual maturity and that's why they live longer. >> Good for them. They're just vibing for a
little while. >> kids for longer. >> kids. >> a They got a long childhood. Maybe
that's it. >> Honestly, I'm 40 and I'm still a kid, so I I really I subscribe to that.
>> I subscribe to it, too. I subscribe to being youthful as long as humanly possible.
>> I love turtles. I love them so much. >> At the Boston Aquarium, there's Myrtle
the Turtle. >> Oh, Myrtle for life. >> Love Myrtle. I wonder how old she is. >> Not as old as Jonathan.
>> Yeah, not as old as Jonathan. >> Wow, what a fun story What a What not a fun story. Hilarious story. I like how
it ended happy. That was the fun part. >> Yeah, I feel we needed it. >> I can't believe that people made fun of
her in school. >> For falling down a well when she was a baby. >> fun of anybody for anything. It's
insane. That's what I mean. Like get it together, people who do that. >> Yeah, if I
I just think sometimes like when I have kids, if I ever find out that they've made fun of somebody
>> Yeah, you're going to want to fight a kid. >> I'm Yeah, I'm going to be upset and
disappointed in myself. No, I would never fight a kid. Jesus Christ, get a get a grip.
>> Yeah, like I know we're just saying it cuz I don't want to be new threat unlocked.
>> I would totally not fight kids. >> Do we fight kids? I'm sure that's already been said.
>> Nah, we don't. We just love turtles. >> No, we don't. No, we don't fight kids.
We love turtles and we and we love being grannies. >> Yeah, we're like Rita and uh
>> Rita and Janet. >> Rita and Janet. >> The grannies. >> The grannies. All right, guys. Well, we
hope that you keep listening. >> And we hope you >> keep weird, but not so weird that you don't age like
a turtle. >> Yeah, get analog with it. >> Yay-o. Have your moments. You deserve it.
>> Hell, yeah. >> Bye, guys. >> Unless you're a [ __ ] >> Unless you're a [ __ ] then [ __ ] you.
Then you don't deserve it. >> No, my slippers suck. >> But if you're listening right now, she's
about to turn off the recorder, so I'm going to keep talking. If you're listening right now, you're beautiful
and lovely. Cuz you stuck it out. Love you. >> Hey.

On October 14, 1987, Reba McClure and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Jessica, stopped by the Midland, Texas home of her sister for a visit. As Reba sat in the backyard watching Jessica play with some neighborhood children, she heard the phone ring and went inside to answer it. When McClure returned to the backyard a few minutes later, she saw the other children staring at the ground on the far-side of the yard, but Jessica was nowhere to be seen.

To Reba McClure’s absolute horror, while she was inside on the phone, Jessica had fallen twenty-feet down into the well on her sister’s property and become lodged in a section only fourteen-inches wide. Rescue teams arrived at the house not long after Jessica fell into the well, but the situation proved far more complicated than anyone had expected; they needed to dig a parallel shaft to rescue the girl, but any amount of significant vibration in the earth could have collapsed the well entirely.

In the early days of cable news twenty-four-hour news coverage, the rescue of Jessica McClure became one of the most watched events in the United States. However, while the rescue of the girl was everyone’s primary concern, the wall-to-wall coverage itself quickly became a major part of the story, as ordinary smalltown Americans were shoved into the spotlight and questions over rights to the story (and rights to privacy) took center stage.

References

Belkin, Lisa. 1988. "Baby Jessica's rescuers fighting over TV rights." New York Times, March 24.

Bone, Mark, and Gregory Rosati. 2021. How 58 hours in Midland, Texas, changed the future of TV news. July 30. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/30/opinions/baby-jessica-cnn-films-shorts-mark-bone-opinion.

Comiter, Jordana, and Carolina Blair. 2025. Where Is ‘Baby Jessica’ Now? Inside Her Life 38 Years After Her Harrowing Rescue from a Texas Well. October 16. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://people.com/all-about-baby-jessica-life-now-11830322.

Crimmins, Patrick. 1987. "Toddler's rescue 'matter of time'." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 16: 1.

Hillrichs, Julie. 1987. "Naps, choruses of nursery song help toddler endure her ordeal." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 16: 1.

Kennedy, J. Michael. 1987. "Jessica makes it to safety-after 58 1/2 hours." Los Angeles Times, October 17: 1.

Lunsford, Lance. 2024. Inside the Well: The Midland, Texas Rescue of Baby Jessica. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press.

Madigan, Tim. 1987. "Rescue just agonizing inches from sobbing girl in Midland well." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 15: 1.

—. 1987. "Town shares emotion of toddler's relatives." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 16: 1.

Nye, Ramona. 1987. "Jessica free, under doctors' care." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 17: 1.

Pitts, John Paul. 1987. "Concerned people give of themselves for Jessica." Midland Reporter-Telegram, October 17: 1.

Thomas, Evan, and Peter Annin. 1997. "'Baby Jessica' grows up." Newsweek, October 27: 34.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Listener Tale Theme Music licensed from https://www.purple-planet.com Main Theme: Matti Paalanen — Trick or Treat — Provided by Jamendo Ad Music: Title: Artist: BlueJay Studio — Spooky Waltz — Provided by Jamendo

Brief Summary

The episode recounts the harrowing rescue of Baby Jessica McClure from a well in 1987, highlighting community efforts and emotional impacts.

Key points

Live Show Announcement. Join us at Radio City Music Hall on June 27th for a night of fun!
New Victim Linked to Bundy. A new victim has been linked to Ted Bundy, shocking yet not surprising.
Baby Jessica's Rescue. A harrowing story about the rescue of baby Jessica McClure from a well.
A Child in Danger. On October 14, 1987, Jessica fell into a well, prompting a frantic rescue effort.
The Rescue Effort. Rescue workers faced unexpected challenges as they attempted to save Jessica from the well.
The Rescue Effort Intensifies. As experts and emergency workers gather, the focus shifts to ensuring Jessica's survival.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

That's shocking, but also not shocking.

Reaction to new victim linked to Ted Bundy

7:22WatchApr 6, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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