One rescuer was able to get close enough to pronounce him dead of cardiac arrest. Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. In the 1990s, 13 divers perished in the cave. 1:10 AM EDT, Fri June 24, 2022. DAN Divers Alert Network; Deaths; epidemiology; recreational diving; root cause analysis; technical diving. As he watched Ben attempt to open the gate, he retrieved his own key and opened the gate, allowing Ben to swim though. The McDaniels began considering the possibility that he had died as a result of foul play, and that his diving disappearance was staged to cover up a crime. He said the muddy current . Efforts to develop preventative interventions to address these hazards should continue. The main causes of death have been drowning when cave diving, drowning as the result of flooding or negotiating deep water, injuries incurred from falling from a height, and injuries incurred as the result of rock falls.In ten cases the bodies have not been recovered. It was concluded that these tanks had been left behind by Ben. "It would have affected his ability to breathe adequately.". A massive rescue expedition was launched to pull out a man trapped in one of Utah's narrowest caves, but heartbreakingly John Edward Jones was unable to be saved and his body is still inside, Don't miss a thing! This was the last time Ben was ever seen. This article is about the scuba diver who went missing in 2010. Discovery Company. The missing persons case remains open. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.\"00:00 Intro00:35 Chapter 1: Ben McDaniel04:17 Chapter 2: Vortex Spring11:04 Chapter 3: The Search17:27 Chapter 4: The Search Continues24:56 Chapter 5: Lowell Kelly27:49 Aftermath Updated. Two men died while diving at Eagle's Nest sinkhole in Florida, Oct. 16, 2016. Epub 2013 Jan 31. In 2008, the McDaniel family suffered a tragedy when their youngest son, Paul, died from a stroke. Cadaver dogs alerted on the water surface, further supporting that theory. Shelby also noted that Ben had seen the impact Paul's death had had on his parents. An official website of the United States government. you'd be dead a long time ago," diver Ben Reymenants, who was part of the rescue mission, says. What happened next is enshrined in mystery. June 27, 2022 2:41pm. Unsworth said the water was too murky to see and on June 25, Thai Navy SEALs tried the same . "He's not in great shape physically, there's a lot of pressure on his upper body and back but he's been amazingly resilient and he has incredibly high spirits under the circumstances," Sgt Spencer Cannon said at the time. An avid diver since his teens, he had been a regular at the spring, where he had apparently been covertly exploring the cave despite lacking the required certification. [2], Frustrated by the limitations the search had thus far encountered, and increasingly coming to believe that Ben's body was in an area of the cave no one had yet reached, the McDaniels offered a reward of $10,000, raised from money contributed at a benefit held on what would have been their son's 31st birthday, at the end of the year to anyone "brave" enough to go to those places and find it. [1], Some other events reported to have occurred on the day Ben disappeared supported that theory. In 2014, two cave divers died at a depth of more than 300 feet while exploring an ice-cold underwater cave system in the Plurdalen valley in central Norway. Equipment failure and training are rarely an issue for experienced divers, while insufficient training is the most . Lie detector test are easily beatable if you know how. and our John left behind his wife Emily and their baby daughter Lizzie. He's not in there. His only option was to keep moving forward, and exhaled the air from his chest so he could fit through the "L-shaped pinpoint" which was just 10 inches across and 18 inches high. An inquest has heard how a cave-diver in Cumbria drowned close to the surface early last year, after a problem was thought to have occurred with his rebreather, a unit under development. Emily was also expecting their second child at the time, a boy who was born the following year and named after his dad. What happened next is enshrined in mystery. He found nothing no body, and no evidence of one such as increased activity by carnivorous aquatic scavengers, nor any evidence that Ben had gotten into those sections, such as marks on the cave walls or disturbed silt. 7. John Edward Jones, 26, was a medical student and experienced spelunker (someone who explores caves as a hobby) who went cave diving with a group of friends while visiting family in Utah for Thanksgiving in 2009. The father-of-one's tragic mistake was thinking he could squeeze into the same spaces as a six-foot man than he did when he was a lot younger and smaller. [2], Ben was 6feet 1inch (185cm) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95kg), one inch (2.5cm) taller and 20 pounds (9.1kg) heavier than Sorenson. It was "discovered" by Jim Bowden and Ann Kristovich on a reconnaissance trip made at the end of two weeks of exploration and surveying in the Nacimiento Santa Clara, a cave system at the . The divers who recovered his body believed he was, however. Ben Davison. [1], But then during the research process, she was able to read Ben's dive logs and the map he had made. The McDaniel family hired Lynn-Marie Carty, a private investigator. The sheriff's office also refused to release the autopsy report to the Northwest Florida Daily News despite its status as a public record under the Florida Sunshine Law; it claimed that release of the report would compromise an ongoing investigation. An experienced California diver who was helping with the exploration of the narrow underwater passageways that radiate from a well-known swimming hole . In fact, he owed the IRS $48, 861. DAN Annual Diving Report 2019 Edition: A report on 2017 diving fatalities, injuries, and incidents [Internet]. Diving instruction is offered for all levels; experienced divers come for the underwater wildlife and the cavern, which begins 58 feet (18m) below the surface. In the morning, a different person came to Kelly's home, and realized his condition had worsened overnight. 2) Steve Gerrard "We Lost Our Friend" NACO News May-June 1988, (20)3, pgs. )[20], McDaniel was not the only person associated with Vortex Spring at the time facing serious legal issues. We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. "He was found near a shovel left near a restriction so small that no one could get through it," said Sorenson, who had pulled Higginbotham's body back through four tight restrictions. It would be impossible to go through that restriction without making a mark on the floor or ceiling. BBC World Service. [2][1], Relocating to the Gulf Coast allowed Ben to indulge in his preferred hobby, scuba diving. Ben reached the locked gate at the entrance to the cave; only experienced divers were given a key to the lock. Ben Died and his body was removed as to not cause too much bad press for the spring.3. Careers. The dive shop withheld the gate key, unless a diver showed proof of cave diving certification, which requires two months' training including 125 dives with an instructor or certified diving partner. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. [22], By 2011, it seemed unlikely that Ben's body would be found in the cave. [1], At the Santa Rosa Beach house officers found his dog, hungry from having been unfed for two days. On November 24, the group ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking spot known for its tight twists, turns and crawls. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Ben decided to fake his own death, and is still alive somewhere.More than a decade later, the truth of what happened to Ben McDaniel still isn't known.Disclaimer: I had tested positive for covid this week and was in the middle of getting symptoms while recording the videoso it's a little rough, but there was no way I was going to wait to post this story. They are adamant that he wouldnt do something so cruel to them. They went through their very long decompression burdened by the "mental horror that just took place.". sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal apparently ascent attack attempted autopsy beach became boat body bottom breathing buddy California cardiac cardiovascular cause of death cave diving cavern certified coast cold water completed condition considerable continue coronary course currents depth Despite died diving fatalities double fatality drop . [2], Ben's truck was still in the parking lot the next morning, but with many summer visitors coming to enjoy the site's many water-based recreational opportunities and picnic grounds in addition to diving, the employees said they were too busy to notice. A decade later, while on a dive at the same site, Shaw found Dreyer's missing body. He had come to know Ben in the past couple of months. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said. To this day, they havent given up hope that one day Ben, dead or alive, shall be found. Unanswered Questions", "Mississippi Man Killed in Cave Diving Accident", "Questions remain about Lowell Kelly's death", "Parents of lost diver pin hopes for closure on team of dogs", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disappearance_of_Ben_McDaniel&oldid=1104006595, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 August 2022, at 01:54. Authorities in Florida are investigating the deaths of two cave divers at a wildlife park, the Hernando County Sheriffs Office said. Cookie Notice Manatee Springs SP cave fatality. This policy was instituted after the deaths of 13 divers in the cave during the 1990s, and in response to threats from the state to ban diving in the cave entirely. On the 18th of August, 2010, Ben McDaniel dived into an underwater cave at Vortex Springs in Florida, never to be seen again. The cave steadily narrows, reaching a makeshift rebar gate with a chain and padlock, at a point almost 300 feet (91m) from the entrance. It was risky work, and one diver said they had nearly died during the search. "Ultimately the decision was made that it was too much risk for the rescuers to remain there in an effort to get him out and the decision was made to leave him in place.". The body of a cave diver still remains trapped upside-down after his ghastly death. The ex-employee managed to escape into the woods but was left so shaken that he moved his family out of town and swore he would never return. Earlier that day, a diver had had a confrontation with several teenagers on the property about their drinking; they eventually left but may have come back in an attempt to exact revenge. He had first taken it up at the age of 15, practicing with his tanks in the family pool. Without a body, closure is impossible. [9], For the most experienced divers, some of whom come from around the world, the main attraction of Vortex Spring is the cave, which starts 300 feet (91m) from the cavern, at a depth of 115 feet (35m). 1 This location was perfect for Ben, who was an avid diver. An estimated 92,000 people died at the camp, according to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. [2] That opinion, the Memphis Commercial Appeal later reported, was shared by posters on a scuba diving website, scubaboard.com, who had also met Ben during trips to Vortex Spring. government site. 2 Coincidentally, Lowell died under suspicious circumstances two years after Ben disappeared. [10] At some points, the passage narrows to 10 inches (25cm), requiring divers to remove their tanks, push them forward through the passage, and then twist their bodies to follow. "Ben was fearless. Police assigned divers searched for Ben for days. Two cave divers died in a possible drowning in Florida, authorities said Thursday. By that time the McDaniels had also come to believe that, if he had not died in the cave, Ben had been murdered. Sign up to the Daily Star's newsletter. Neither of the divers had any obvious signs of trauma and both appeared to have the appropriate diving equipment. The cave is located in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Park in Weeki Wachee, roughly an hour north of Tampa. Last month, Larry Higginbotham, 43, of Biloxi, Miss., drowned inside the cave at Vortex. The entrance to Nutty Putty Cave was boarded up and declared a public health hazard. Despite living on the coast during his sabbatical, he preferred to dive in fresh water, becoming a frequent visitor to Vortex Spring, located inland a short distance north of Ponce de Leon. 4. Rescuers began a different approach, using air-powered tools to chip away at some of the rock surrounding John. The McDaniels were called, and they drove to Florida, along with Greer, to observe from the shore. [2], McDaniel's dives at the site were regular enough that the dive shop employees and other frequent visitors came to know him. Emergency medical services responded to a call and he was admitted to a hospital in Pensacola. In addition, he incurred a hefty tax debt (est. Results: DandyDon; May 18, 2022; 5 6 7. John decided to try and find the formation known as the Birth Canal, an incredibly narrow vertical passage. 0:00. She realized that he had, in fact, gotten very far into the cave. Normally you had to have a buddy system before you was allowed to get the group I never knew them to allow a single diver go on their own. Her identity Would love your thoughts, please comment. Multiple divers searched through the weekend, but did not find Ben. There was no sign of a struggle at his car and his belongings were untouched, including $1,000 in cash. All contained normal air, not a specialized gas mix. Stemberga V, Petaros A, Rasic V, Azman J, Sosa I, Coklo M, Uhac I, Bosnar A. J Travel Med. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted When the footage was reviewed, his team realized that Dave had captured his last moments underwater attempting to free Deon Dreyer from the depths of the cave. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! Four died in the hole ( . 2023 Cable News Network. Accessibility The 26-year-old was a medical student, father of one and an experienced spelunker, John Edward Jones died after getting trapped upside in a nightmarishly narrow cave passage in 2009, This diagram shows how John was firmly wedged upside down in a narrow passage, Nutty Putty Cave is located south of Salt Lake City, Utah, Rescuers worked for hours to try to pull John out to no avail, A memorial plaque to John stands near the entrance to Nutty Putty Cave. When their football practice ended on Saturday 23 June, 2018, the 12 members of Wild Boars decided to go cave exploring with assistant coach Ekkaphon . His family said the diver wasn't looking for Ben McDaniel, but cave divers are skeptical.The family steadily increased a reward to $30,000, which incensed the cave diving community because they thought it was recklessly encouraging inexperienced divers to . To me, the disappearance of Ben McDaniel is cave diving's greatest mystery. He was also still grieving for his younger brother Paul, a frequent rock climbing partner during their youth, who died in 2008 at the age of 22 from a stroke. Lowell Kelly, who had owned Vortex Spring since 2007, was facing criminal charges. A decades-old mystery surrounding the death of a Florida cave diver has been solved by a simple experiment by three scientists in a lab at Florida State. The cave diving death of Dave Shaw is a multilayered tragedy. Introduction: On Saturday, June 23, 2018, 12 members of a local Thai football team, who were between the ages of 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach, entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave for a day . While police had already searched the spring, there were certain passages that they refused to search because it was much too dangerous and they werent experienced enough. [2], Sorenson, who has been described by the Tampa Bay Times as being able to go where other divers cannot,[2] persisted. Two other tanks, lacking regulators, were attached to the "talk box" in the outer cavern area, (Piano Room) where the talk box was located at the time. We were able to hold his hand at some point.". Josh had no choice but to leave his brother and work his way out of the cave where he called for help. Two days later, it was noticed that Ben's car was still in the . [4] (Due to technical issues, it was unable to go any farther than the human divers had ventured. Undercurrent, 1988 . 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