The woman who became famous around the world as “Baby Jessica” in 1987 – when she was rescued as a child after falling into her aunt’s well – has been arrested for domestic violence, according to reports.
Midland County sheriff’s deputies called a domestic disturbance at Jessica McClure Morales home on Saturday, April 11, and ended up arresting him that night, according to authorities, KMID-TV and KPEJ-TV reported.
Morales, now 40, is charged with assault causing injury related to family violence, according to records seen by television stations.
The circumstances of his arrest remain unclear, as Midland County officials told KMID-TV and KPEJ-TV that it could take several days to release an arrest warrant that could include more details.
It was not immediately clear if Morales has an attorney available to comment on his behalf.
When Morales was an 18-month-old toddler, the story of him falling into a well at his aunt’s house in Midland gained worldwide attention. The collapse sparked a rescue mission that lasted nearly two and a half days and dominated front pages across America.
“For more than two days over the weekend, Americans were gripped by the tragedy of Jessica McClure, an 18-month-old teenager, who collapsed while playing in her aunt’s yard,” read a TIME magazine article published on October 26, 1987, about the rescue.
“Stuck in the intestines for 58 hours, this child appeared lost,” the article continued. “Yet a hard-working West Texas town rallied and freed them.”
Morales was trapped about 22 meters deep in the well, according to KMID-TV and KPEJ-TV.
The emergency worker, Robert O’Donnell, ended up crawling through the tunnel that the rescuers had dug to reach Morales, TV stations reported.
“The image remains: the paramedic emerging from the rescue pit with a bundle in his hands – Jessica alive, bandages hiding all but her nose, her arms tragically battered, her eyes frightened and her hair white,” read a 1987 TIME Magazine article.
While talking to People in 2017, Morales said “his life is a miracle.”
“I think it happened the way it should have happened,” he said Peoplesaying his redemption. “I was taken because of that, but a lot of people are kind and think what happened is a wonderful miracle.
Morales is married with two children and two grandchildren, according to the report.
