00:00A rescue operation that captivated the nation.
00:02All America is watching and waiting tonight,
00:05watching the little town of Midland, Texas,
00:07and waiting for rescuers to free little Jessica McClure.
00:10There is activity around the hole where little Jessica McClure
00:14has been stuck down an old dry well for more than 48 hours.
00:19After an 18-month-old toddler, famously known as Baby Jessica,
00:23was miraculously pulled alive from an abandoned well in Texas
00:26after being trapped for nearly 60 hours.
00:30Here she comes, right getting ready to go to the hospital.
00:33But what seemed like a happy ending turned out to have a dark aftermath.
00:37Addiction, suicide, divorce, and money troubles.
00:40Baby Jessica's recent arrest for alleged domestic assault
00:43is just the tip of the iceberg.
00:44What happened to Jessica McClure after her daring rescue from a well?
00:49On October 14, 1987, first responders and reporters
00:53rushed to a backyard in Midland, Texas.
00:56After reports surfaced that an 18-month-old girl
00:59had tumbled 22 feet down into a well.
01:02The toddler, Jessica McClure, and the attempts to rescue her
01:05made global headlines as the world tuned in on the edge of their seats,
01:09as emergency responders continuously tried, but failed to reach her.
01:13At one point, rescuers reported hearing the toddler,
01:16who became known as Baby Jessica, singing about Winnie the Pooh.
01:20McClure was trapped in underground for nearly 60 hours without food or water.
01:25Ultimately, Cruz made the daring decision to drill a tunnel
01:27through adjacent rocks to free her.
01:30A local Midland EMT had to crumple and contort his body down the tiny shaft
01:34to grab a hold and free her,
01:36as people around the world rejoiced that a tragedy had been avoided.
01:40But what seemed like a happy ending to a potentially deadly event
01:43was only the beginning of a difficult road for McClure
01:46and the people involved in her miraculous recovery.
01:49McClure, who has long maintained that she has no recollection of ever being trapped,
01:53lost a toe to gangrene as a result,
01:56and was forced to endure more than a dozen surgeries
01:59to treat injuries she suffered during the ordeal.
02:02Then, nearly three years after the iconic rescue,
02:05Baby Jessica's parents, Reba's sissy and Louis Chip McClure, divorced.
02:10No reason was given for the split,
02:11but according to People Magazine, both went on to marry other partners.
02:15Eight years after the rescue, more shocking news hit the newspapers
02:18when it was reported that Robert O'Donnell,
02:21the brave paramedic who shimmied down the tight shaft
02:23to rescue Baby Jessica, had committed suicide.
02:27According to the Los Angeles Times,
02:29O'Donnell suffered PTSD from the rescue event
02:31and drove to a pasture on his parents' ranch
02:34and shot himself four days after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
02:38After the media blitz ended, O'Donnell started abusing painkillers,
02:42got divorced, and quit his job at the Midland Fire Department.
02:45O'Donnell's brother told the Associated Press
02:47that the paramedic's life fell apart after making the miraculous rescue.
02:52A piece of paper found in the 37-year-old's truck read,
02:55I'm sorry to check out this way, but life sucks.
02:59Trouble also found another rescuer, but this time, it was the law.
03:02In 2005, Midland Police Sergeant Andy Glasscock,
03:06who was the spokesperson and first officer at the scene,
03:08got into hot water after pleading guilty
03:11to drugging and raping a woman in 2003,
03:13and federal charges of possessing child pornography,
03:16including using a hidden video camera
03:18to film a 12-year-old girl undressing in his bathroom,
03:21according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram and the Houston Chronicle.
03:25During his sentencing, My Plainview reported
03:27that Glasscock admitted to his sexual addiction
03:30and assured the judge he would never hurt a child.
03:32There is still good left in me, he reportedly said.
03:35The Midland Reporter-Telegram reported that initially,
03:38Glasscock said his rescue role during the Baby Jessica operation
03:41had nothing to do with his issues,
03:43but later admitted to having been changed by the experience.
03:46If I could blame it on anything other than my stupidity,
03:49I would blame it on the stress of my job, he told the newspaper.
03:53Glasscock died in 2016.
03:56McClure also suffered her own troubles after the rescue,
03:59especially when it came to money.
04:01According to NBC News, the McClure parents were struggling teens,
04:04barely making ends meet,
04:06when Baby Jessica plunged into the abandoned well.
04:08Because of the widespread coverage, a trust fund was created
04:11so sympathizers could shower the young toddler with cash.
04:15But according to People Magazine,
04:17McClure said her trust fund took a tumble
04:19during the 2008 financial crisis.
04:21Without specifying a specific amount,
04:24she told the outlet that much of the $1.2 million raised
04:26had been wiped out.
04:28NBC News reported that McClure got access to her fund in 2011
04:32when she turned 25 years old.
04:34The outlet said the fund had up to $800,000
04:37and that some of it was used to purchase a home
04:39for McClure and her family.
04:41And more recently, drama keeps finding Baby Jessica
04:44after authorities say they busted her
04:46for alleged domestic assault on April 11th.
04:49According to KXAN, McClure, now 40,
04:52was arrested over a disturbance at her home
04:54in Midland County, Texas,
04:56where she is believed to live with her husband,
04:58Daniel Morales, and their two kids.
05:00Sheriff's deputies allege in an affidavit
05:02viewed by the Daily Mail
05:03that McClure allegedly choked her husband
05:05in front of her own baby grandson.
05:08McClure allegedly wrapped her hands
05:09around her husband's throat
05:10and raked her nails over his skin
05:12when he pushed her away,
05:14causing him to bleed.
05:15McClure was charged with assault-causing bodily injury
05:18involving family violence.
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