Then came the horrifying discovery:
It was only 8 inches wide — barely large enough for a toddler’s body to slip through. And she had fallen 22 feet straight down.
Cissy’s voice shook when she later recalled the moment: “I didn’t know what to do. I just ran in and called the police. They were there within three minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.”
In that instant, a mother’s worst nightmare had become reality.
The Race Against Time Begins
Within minutes, first responders arrived. Police, firefighters, and emergency medical teams began surrounding the backyard, but it took only a quick look into the narrow hole for the truth to hit them:
This would not be a simple rescue.
This was a mission that required:
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geologists
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drilling engineers
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trauma doctors
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volunteers
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and extraordinary creativity
Detective Andy Glasscock, one of the first officers on scene, leaned over the opening and called down into the darkness:
“I called the baby’s name three or four times and didn’t hear anything. Finally, I got a cry in response.”
That faint cry became the heartbeat of the rescue effort.
A Nation Watches as Hope Hangs by a Thread
Within hours, news cameras gathered. Local reporters became national ones.
The story swept across America like wildfire — a toddler trapped underground, her cries echoing up from the earth.
People skipped work. Churches held prayer vigils. Children wrote letters.
Strangers gathered in living rooms, waiting for any update.
And America waited for a miracle.
A Rescue Unlike Anything Seen Before
Experts quickly realized that trying to pull Jessica straight up through the narrow shaft was impossible — she was stuck, and forcing her upward risked severe injury. So they came up with a daring plan:
Drill a separate shaft parallel to the well, then cut through horizontally to reach her. But there was one problem.
The ground beneath the yard was made of rock so hard that drilling equipment burned out constantly. Workers had to stop again and again to reposition machinery, replace drill bits, and re-evaluate the angle of approach.
Meanwhile, Jessica was trapped in a space no larger than her own body — unable to move, unable to eat, unable to drink.
Through microphones, rescuers could hear her crying, whimpering… and sometimes singing to comfort herself. One of the songs she sang was “Winnie-the-Pooh,” a detail that would forever break America’s heart.
Emotions Run High as Hours Turn Into Days
The rescue effort intended to take a few hours quickly turned into 20 hours… then 30… then 40.
By the time 48 hours had passed, emotions were fraying.
Workers were exhausted.
Cameras captured rescuers breaking down in tears.
Parents across the country held their children a little tighter that night.
Every minute mattered. Jessica was without food, without water, and in a cold, dark space with limited oxygen.
Yet somehow… she kept fighting.
