What Alaina Urquhart has said about Rescue of Jessica McClure

Urquhart describes how Jessica fell about 20 feet into an eight-inch well opening in her aunt's yard.

“Jessica had wandered over to the well and fallen about 20 feet into the eight inch wide hole in the ground”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 20:52

Urquhart says rescuers drilled the parallel shaft at roughly four inches per hour to avoid destabilizing the well.

“rescuers had to move incredibly slow, drilling about four inches per hour”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 32:08

Urquhart notes that at the drilling rate, reaching Jessica would have taken more than three days of continuous work.

“at that rate it would take more than three days to reach her assuming they worked around the clock”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 32:23

Urquhart credits the community's immediate donations of equipment and expertise with turning the incident from a tragedy into a national moment.

“it really was the the super fast and prompt attention from the local community that turned this from a potential tragedy”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 27:13

Urquhart says the story moved her because she wants the world to be as mutually supportive as Midland was in 1987.

“Especially with the way the world is right now, it had me almost in tears because I was like, I just want life to be like that again”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 27:42

Urquhart recounts that O'Donnell stopped pulling on Jessica and touched her face after realizing she did not understand what was happening.

“So he stopped his grabbing and he reached up to touch her face so she could feel his human hand”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 46:26

Urquhart states that Jessica McClure was freed after 58 hours in the well.

“after 58 hours in a well jessica mcclure was finally free”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 47:24

Urquhart says the loss of circulation in Jessica's raised leg caused gangrene in her foot.

“because of the loss of circulation in her leg, she had developed gangrene in her foot”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 48:22

Urquhart reports Jessica spent over a month in hospital and lost only a toe on her right foot.

“she spent more than a month in the hospital where she was stabilized and received several skin grafts after surgeons amputated just her little toe on her right foot”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 49:49

Urquhart criticizes conservative politicians who used the accident to attack working mothers and daycare.

“Some conservative politicians used this accident as an opportunity to attack working mothers”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 50:57

Urquhart says rescuers and volunteers formed rival associations and fought publicly over television rights to the story.

“the two groups eventually formed their own associations and went on to have a pretty public fight over the television rights to the story”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 51:48

Urquhart says donations created a $1.2 million trust fund for Jessica McClure.

“a trust fund was established in the amount of $1.2 million from donations made by people all around the world”

Morbid: The Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 59:57