You can take the girl out of a well in Midland...

3,572 Views | 29 Replies | Last: 20 days ago by michael.teer
Burdizzo
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2:36p, 4/14/26
AG
But you can't take the Midland out of a girl.

Who remembers Baby Jessica from the 1980s who fell down a well and was rescued?

https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/us-news/baby-jessica-arrested-over-domestic-dispute-at-texas-home/

Arrested for assault.
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NoahAg
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2:40p, 4/14/26
Put her back in!
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IIIHorn
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In reply to NoahAg • 2:49p, 4/14/26
NoahAg said:
Put her back in!

Never put a fish back in a well once it's on the bank.


( ...voice punctuated with a clap of distant thunder... )
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lb sand
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2:50p, 4/14/26
AG
Alls well that ends well.
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Tree Hugger
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2:53p, 4/14/26
AG
It looks like the years have treated her well.
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AggieArchitect04
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2:57p, 4/14/26
AG
Born Midlander here and I was alive to see the live footage of her rescue. Pretty wild stuff back in that day.

Interesting tidbits...

Since then she has gotten a reputation around Midland as thinking she's better than everyone else because of all the publicity she received. People are pretty sick of it. She had a trust fund when she turned 25 worth about $1.2 million from donations received. She lost a lot of it in the 2008 recession, but blew through whatever money was left. She claims to have no real recollection of the event (she was only 18 months). Parents divorced a few years after the incident.

The guy that saved her (paramedic, Robert O'Donnell) got a lot of attention as well, made all the talk shows. Then like everything, something else happened and it was no longer news. The world moved on. By that time he had tied his entire life/identity up in that single event and was struggling to cope with no longer getting attention from it. He fell into a deep depression and took his own life in 1995. Pretty sad story.
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FIDO*98*
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3:01p, 4/14/26
AG
Definitely not going to make the Mugshotties thread.
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fc2112
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In reply to AggieArchitect04 • 3:05p, 4/14/26
that whole story ended up so terribly sad.
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Burdizzo
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In reply to AggieArchitect04 • 3:08p, 4/14/26
AG
I remember watching it live on CNN when they rescued her. She came out strapped to that board with that wound on her forehead. It was iconic for the moment. IIRC, that happened about October. Some friends went to 6th Street in Austin for Halloween and said there were several folks dressed in diapers, a board strapped to their backs, and a bruise on their forehead..


Also remember hearing something about the guy who rescued her had no collarbones which was why he was able to squeeze down into the shaft they dug.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Burdizzo • 3:13p, 4/14/26
You can have no collarbones?
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AggieArchitect04
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In reply to Burdizzo • 3:33p, 4/14/26
AG
Burdizzo said:
Also remember hearing something about the guy who rescued her had no collarbones which was why he was able to squeeze down into the shaft they dug.

Kind of. That guy offered but he was a roofing contractor and I think they ulimately decided a paramedic needed to be down there since they weren't 100% sure what kind of condition she was in or what she would need.

The scar on her head was one thing. While in the well she had one leg/foot up above her forehead with the other leg straight down. After, what was it, 3 days, she lost blood flow to her foot. They almost had to amputate the entire foot, but took only a toe that was gangrenous. They had to perform multiple surgeries to reconstruct the remainder of her affected foot.
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DannyDuberstein
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3:37p, 4/14/26
AG

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videoag98
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3:44p, 4/14/26
AG
It puts the lotion on its skin

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Ginormus Ag
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3:44p, 4/14/26
AG
Not bad for a Midland celebrity. I was expecting fatter.
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Tatem
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In reply to AggieArchitect04 • 3:45p, 4/14/26
AggieArchitect04 said:
He fell into a deep depression and took his own life in 1995. Pretty sad story.

did he fall into a deep well?
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DannyDuberstein
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4:37p, 4/14/26
AG
I'm going to at least give him credit for not waxing poetic and just getting the job done


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Bondag
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4:45p, 4/14/26
AG
https://instagr.am/p/DXH5uknERYt
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IIIHorn
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In reply to FIDO*98* • 4:54p, 4/14/26
FIDO*98* said:
Definitely not going to make the Mugshotties thread.


How about the Overshotties thread?


( ...voice punctuated with a clap of distant thunder... )
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JMac03
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5:54p, 4/14/26
AG
Crazy how vividly I remember this happening.
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ToddyHill
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7:04p, 4/14/26
AG
I remember being in Lake Tahoe on business when she was rescued. Crazy that it's been 40 years.
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BigPete3281
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7:35p, 4/14/26
If we had AI back then we could have predicted what she'd have looked like and saved some time.

Not to mention pre-crime like in Minority Report...

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superunknown
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In reply to Ginormus Ag • 8:05p, 4/14/26
AG
Ginormus Ag said:
Not bad for a Midland celebrity. I was expecting fatter.
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TheRatt87
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11:47a, 4/15/26
On the CBS special report coverage after they got her out, Dan Rather commented, "What a fighter!"
Turned out he was accurate (for once).
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AgTrip
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12:57p, 4/15/26


What dark hole did she come from???
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Principal Uncertainty
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In reply to DannyDuberstein • 1:03p, 4/15/26
DannyDuberstein said:
I'm going to at least give him credit for not waxing poetic and just getting the job done



Most women who attempt suicide are just crying for help. Most men who attempt suicide are just trying to kill themselves.
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VP at Pierce and Pierce
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In reply to AggieArchitect04 • 1:23p, 4/15/26
AggieArchitect04 said:
Born Midlander here and I was alive to see the live footage of her rescue. Pretty wild stuff back in that day.

Interesting tidbits...

Since then she has gotten a reputation around Midland as thinking she's better than everyone else because of all the publicity she received. People are pretty sick of it. She had a trust fund when she turned 25 worth about $1.2 million from donations received. She lost a lot of it in the 2008 recession, but blew through whatever money was left. She claims to have no real recollection of the event (she was only 18 months). Parents divorced a few years after the incident.

The guy that saved her (paramedic, Robert O'Donnell) got a lot of attention as well, made all the talk shows. Then like everything, something else happened and it was no longer news. The world moved on. By that time he had tied his entire life/identity up in that single event and was struggling to cope with no longer getting attention from it. He fell into a deep depression and took his own life in 1995. Pretty sad story.


Thanks for the recap. The other paramedic/firefighter that rescued her is Steve Forbes and he for whatever reason never got any attention or fame although people around Midland knew of his heroics. I knew his family. The O'donnel story is sad.
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histag10
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4:58p, 4/15/26
AG
The day she was pulled out of the well is the day my parents brought me home from the adoption agency. They said they remembered people cheering when they ran into WalMart to grab some baby items.
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BostonAg74
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6:09p, 4/15/26



Baby Jessica at 4:41
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Burdizzo
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In reply to BostonAg74 • 7:05p, 4/15/26
AG
I was always impressed with Jason Sudekis' endurance in those skits. The guy should teach aerobics
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michael.teer
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6:43p, 4/20/26
I went to grade school about 2 blocks from where that well was located. The busses had to detour from their normal route, but we never saw much more than increased traffic. It's a shame she continues to struggle.
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