Some stories remain etched into a nation’s memory forever — and Jessica McClure’s is one of them. In October 1987, when she was just 18 months old, Jessica disappeared while playing with other children in her aunt’s backyard in Midland, Texas. Within minutes, her family realized the unimaginable had happened: she had slipped 22 feet down an old well they believed was sealed.
Her mother, Cissy, recalled the terror vividly. “I didn’t know what to do. I called the police. They were there in minutes, but it felt like forever,” she told PEOPLE.
Word spread quickly. News stations across the country converged on Midland as a massive, nonstop rescue operation began. Emergency crews, drilling experts, and volunteers worked around the clock, determined to reach the toddler trapped deep underground.
The first officer on the scene, Bobbie Jo Hall, remembered calling out into the darkness, hearing nothing at first — and then finally, a small cry that let them know she was alive.
Detective Andy Glasscock never forgot the sounds either. “Most of the time she was crying or making little noises,” he said. “When we weren’t giving encouragement, we’d ask her to sing. She’d sing ‘Winnie-the-Pooh.’ I’ll never forget it.”
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