Some of our readers might recall the remarkable tale of Jessica McClure Morales. In 1987, at just 18 months old, she disappeared while playing with four other kids in her aunt’s backyard in Midland, Texas.
Panicked family members quickly found out that she had fallen 22 feet down a well that they believed was covered.
Her mother, Cissy, shared with PEOPLE: “I didn’t know what to do. I just ran in and called the police. They arrived within three minutes, but it felt like an eternity.”
Little Jessica was trapped, and her frightening situation soon caught the attention of news outlets across the US. A massive, around-the-clock rescue effort commenced, with emergency responders, drilling experts, and volunteers working diligently to save her over the span of two days.
Jessica was stuck without food or water. The first officer on the scene was Bobbie Jo Hall, who remembered seeing nothing when he first looked into the hole.
“I called the baby’s name three or four times and didn’t hear anything. Finally, I got a cry in response,” he told PEOPLE.
“We didn’t know how deep she was until we lowered a tape with a flashlight into the hole.”
Detective Andy Glasscock remarked: “I would say 80 percent of the time she was either crying or making some kind of noise we could hear.
“When we weren’t offering words of encouragement, we’d ask her to sing for us.
“I’ll never forget her singing ‘Winnie-the-Pooh.’
After nearly 60 hours of tireless effort, a breakthrough occurred, allowing rescuers to bring the one-year-old to safety. The concluding moments of the operation were aired to millions across the US – the remarkable rescue of ‘Baby Jessica’ captured the attention of the entire nation.
38 years have gone by since that extraordinary event, yet those two and a half days have significantly shaped Jessica’s life.
“In a way, I suppose it unfolded as it was meant to,” she shared with PEOPLE in 2017.
“I faced bullying because of it, but the majority of people are kind and view what happened as a miraculous event. It truly is. I believe none of this would have occurred without God.”
Nearly forty years later, Jessica is now a mother and grandmother. In 2019, she shared that the nickname Baby Jessica is still in use today.
“I have people who associate me with that name,” she told PEOPLE.
“Just the other day, I mentioned to a woman at work that I was the little girl who fell into the well, and she exclaimed, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re Baby Jessica!’” she recounted.
According to PEOPLE, Jessica continues to reside in rural Texas with her husband, Danny, whom she wed in 2006.
Interestingly, Danny recalls watching the news on the day his future wife was rescued from the well on October 16, 1987. At the age of 13, he found out about the successful rescue while attending a football game.
“They paused the entire game to announce, ‘Baby Jessica has been rescued,’” Danny said. “It was quite an experience.”
The couple is said to have two children, Simon and Sheyenne, who have in turn blessed them with grandchildren, Emiliano and Nolan.
Jessica mentioned that when her daughter, Sheyenne, was in elementary school, her teacher showed the class a video about the incident after discovering that Sheyenne’s mom was Baby Jessica.
“Her teacher was well aware of it,” Jessica told PEOPLE. “But the other kids were clueless about what she meant.
After the traumatic event in 1987, a trust fund of $1.2 million was created by generous individuals worldwide. Among the donors was Danny’s mother.
Jessica disclosed that a significant portion of the fund was lost during the 2008 stock market crash, but there remained enough to help buy a home.
According to Jessica’s Facebook page, she currently works at Richards Horticulture in Midland, Texas, as a special education assistant at an elementary school.
Most recently, in 2024, Jessica informed PEOPLE that she has no recollection of being rescued all those years ago.
“I first found out about it when I was just 4 years old while watching Rescue 911 at my stepmother’s house,” she reminisced. “It was such an emotional experience. I remember being in tears. She told me, ‘You do understand that this is about you, right?’ My dad added, ‘We were planning to wait until she was a bit older to share this with her.’”
In total, Jessica underwent 15 surgeries due to the injuries she sustained from falling into the well. Her right foot needed surgical reconstruction after she developed gangrene, and she also has a faint scar on her head.
What an amazing tale of a young girl’s strength and the unity of people coming together. We wish Jessica all the best as she moves forward!
