The wife of a man who died the 'worst possible death' has spoken out against the trolling her family have continued to receive 13 years on.
On 24 November, 2009, John Edward Jones tragically passed away while exploring a hydrothermal cave in Utah known as 'Nutty Putty cave'.
John left behind his wife, Emily Jones Sanchez, and their two children.
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Emily has since spoken out about the online abuse she's continued to face for moving on with her life.
John had been exploring the cave with his brother but got stuck in a narrow tunnel.
He was stuck for over 25 hours, and because of the pressure his body was under and the position he was in, sadly couldn't be safely rescued.
The rescue team weren't even able to reach his body, so the cave was closed down and sealed off around Jones' body and turned into a memorial for the father.
Emily has since remarried and gone on to have two more children.
However, despite it being over 10 years since John passed away, the mother has faced continuous online abuse on her Facebook page.
"JOHN WAS BETTER ! RIP JOHN IF I WAS YOUR WIFE I WOULD HAVE NEVER MOVED ON SOO SOON AND WOULD BE SHARING YOUR STORY AND LIFE. AND POSTING ABOUT YOU," one user wrote on a post Emily shared on 6 March, 2020.
Another comment reads: "Is that John on ur profile picture? Or is it another man I’m genuinely confused I swear John past away."
A third user said: "Just saw the movie of the story of John. Just wondering, when you die and go to heaven, who will you be with? It breaks my heart how easily people focus on happiness in this earthly life instead of holding on and wait to be re-united."
In an interview with Deseret News, Emily spoke out against the online abuse and stuck up for her new marriage, noting it's 'never been hard to talk about John' to her second husband Donovan Sanchez.
"It’s never been hard to remember John," she said. "Ever since the very beginning, ever since I first met Donovan, he’s been really comfortable with John continuing to be a part of our family and our lives, especially because of our kids.
"He just knows that the kids need to remember their dad so he’s good about wanting to stay in touch with the Joneses and he loves the Joneses."
Despite some nasty comments, others have been quick to defend Emily and her family.
One user wrote: "I hope she does not read these comments… and i hope none of u have to go through what she has in her life. loosing someone is hard enough and going through a pregnancy on ur own having to look at those kids everyday knowing what happened to their dad. having a film made about it.
"You may not agree with her choices but you don’t pay her bills feed her kids or now her grass… john loved her and she loved him. so just maybe he sent someone to help her get through it… it’s not easy to go through life on a good day so give it up… i hope she is every bit happy and blessed and the same to her beautiful children."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: Mental Health, US News, Social Media, Facebook
Poppy Bilderbeck