The remarkable tale of Jessica McClure Morales may be familiar to some of our readers. She disappeared in 1987 while playing with four other kids in her aunt’s backyard in Midland, Texas, when she was just eighteen months old.
She had fallen 22 feet down a well that her family believed to be covered over, as they quickly learned in a panic.
Cissy, her mother, said to PEOPLE: “I was unsure of what to do. I just hurried inside and dialed 911. Even though they arrived in three minutes, it seemed like an eternity.
Little Jessica was stuck, and news outlets all across the United States quickly became aware of her horrifying situation. Over the course of two days, emergency responders, drilling experts, and volunteers worked nonstop to reach her as part of a massive, 24-hour rescue effort.
Jessica was stranded without water or food. Bobbie Jo Hall, the first officer on the scene, remembered looking down the hole and seeing nothing.
“I called the baby’s name three or four times without getting a response. He told PEOPLE, “I finally got a cry in response.”
“Until we lowered a tape hooked to a flashlight into the hole, we had no idea how deep she was.”
“I would say 80 percent of the time she was either crying or making some kind of noise we could hear,” stated Detective Andy Glasscock.
We would ask her to sing for us when we weren’t offering words of support.
I will always remember her singing “Winnie-the-Pooh.”
A breakthrough was reached after over 60 hours of arduous labor, and the one-year-old was successfully pulled to safety. Millions of Americans watched the operation’s last moments on television; the incredible rescue of “Baby Jessica” required national attention.
Even though the amazing turn of events occurred 38 years ago, Jessica’s life has been greatly shaped by those two and a half days.
“In a sense, I suppose it went as planned,” she said to PEOPLE in 2017.
“I was teased because of it, but the majority of people are nice and consider what transpired to be an incredible miracle. Yes, it is. Without God, I don’t think any of it would have occurred.
After nearly forty years, Jessica has her own children and grandchildren. She disclosed in 2019 that the nickname Baby Jessica has endured to this day.
“I have people who associate me with that,” she told individuals.
“I told a woman at work the other day that I was the little girl who fell in the well, and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re Baby Jessica,'” she remarked.
Jessica and her husband, Danny, whom she wed in 2006, continue to reside in rural Texas, according to PEOPLE.
Interestingly, Danny recalls watching the news on October 16, 1987, the day his now-wife was recovered from the well. While at a football game, the 13-year-old discovered the success of the rescue effort.
“They halted the entire game to announce that Baby Jessica had been saved,” Danny remarked. “It was really awesome.”
According to reports, Simon and Sheyenne are the couple’s two children. In turn, they gave her grandkids Nolan and Emiliano.
When Jessica’s daughter, Sheyenne, was in elementary school, her teacher showed the class a film about the incident after discovering that Sheyenne’s mother was Baby Jessica.
Jessica told PEOPLE that although her teacher was aware of it, the other children were unaware of it.
In the wake of the horrific event in 1987, generous people from all across the world created a trust fund totaling $1.2 million. Danny’s mother was among those who contributed to the cause.
Jessica disclosed that even though a significant amount of the fund was destroyed during the 2008 stock market meltdown, there was still enough money to pay for a house.
According to her Facebook page, Jessica is currently employed as a special education aide at an elementary school at Richards Horticulture in Midland, Texas right now.
Jessica told PEOPLE in 2024 that she doesn’t recall being saved all those years ago.
“I watched it on Rescue 911 at my stepmother’s house when I was four years old,” she recounted. It was too much to handle. I recall crying. “You do realize that is about you?” she asked. “We were waiting until she was a little bit older to tell her,” my dad explained.
Because of the damage she sustained when she fell into the well, Jessica ultimately needed fifteen surgery. She suffered gangrene, which necessitated surgical reconstruction of her right foot. She also has a barely noticeable scar on her skull.
What a remarkable tale of a young girl’s tenacity and the strength of community. We hope Jessica has the finest possible future!
