Jessica McClure Morales, the woman known to the world as “Baby Jessica” after a dramatic 1987 rescue from an abandoned well, was arrested Saturday night in Midland County, Texas, on a charge of assault causing bodily injury involving family violence.
Deputies with the Midland County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported domestic disturbance at a residence near South County Road 1140 just before 10 p.m. on April 11. The 40-year-old Morales was taken into custody at the scene and later released from the Midland County Detention Center after posting bond.
The arrest has drawn renewed attention to Morales, who at 18 months old fell into an eight-inch-wide abandoned water well in her aunt’s backyard in Midland.
She remained trapped 22 feet underground for nearly 58 hours before rescue workers drilled a parallel shaft and freed her using specialized equipment. The operation was watched live by millions around the world.
The story of her heroic rescue was later made into a television movie, “Everybody’s Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure.”
Morales has since lived a mostly private life in Texas, raising a family in the Permian Basin area and rarely appearing in public.
Authorities have released few details about the domestic incident. Midland County officials said the full arrest affidavit could take up to 10 days to process through a public records request. The investigation continues.