She vanished and was later discovered stuck in a pipe — now, nearly four decades later, here’s who “Baby Jessica” has become.

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.

The Final Push: A Battle Against the Earth Itself

After almost 60 relentless hours, rescuers finally broke through the last layer of rock. One man, lowered into the new shaft, carefully reached toward Jessica.

Millions watched on live television as rescue workers emerged… holding the tiny, dirt-covered, terrified toddler in their arms.Continue reading…