Jonestown Massacre Survivors: How Many People Survived and Who Are They?

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of death and suicide. reader discretion is advised.

In November 1978, more than 900 people died in a mass murder-suicide that took place in Jonestown. Reports indicate that cult leader Jim Jones instructed his followers to ingest poison after the death of Congressman Leo Ryan. Moreover, Jones died due to a gunshot wound to the head. Although over 900 people died in Jonestown, 90 members managed to escape the cult murder. The new Hulu documentary Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown explores the horrifying mass murder-suicide.

According to People Magazine, two of Jim Jones’ children—Jim Jones Jr. and Stephan Jones—survived the massacre. Meanwhile, Eugene Smith turned out to be the lone survivor in his family and lost his wife and child. While speaking to Newsweek, Smith stated that he failed to save his family and considers it the “most tragic mistake of his life.” He added, “I never remarried or had children. I’m not ashamed to say it, but I failed at my most basic responsibility, which was to protect Ollie and Martin.”

Moreover, a survivor named Jynona Norwood lost 27 members of her family, including her two-month-old cousin. Per CBS News, Norwood considered Jim Jones a “mass murderer.” She added, “We lost generations. We lost babies. We lost seniors.” Meanwhile, some survivors forgave Jim Jones, noting they didn’t want to endure more pain and suffering.

Jonestown Massacre survivors: How did cult leader Jim Jones’ children survive?

As mentioned above, two of the Jonestown massacre survivors included Jim Jones’ children: Jim Jones Jr. and Stephan Gandhi Jones. According to People Magazine, both children were attending a basketball game in Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana. Jones Jr. shared that basketball saved his life and didn’t let him die. Jones Jr. told ABC News (via People Magazine), “When people say basketball saved their life, I can literally say basketball did save my life. If I wasn’t playing basketball, I would have died.”

In the documentary, the Jonestown massacre survivors opened up about what happened in November 1978. Additionally, it talks about how Jim Jones made his followers believe that the death of Leo Ryan won’t let them live in peace. As a result, he forced them to commit suicide.

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown is available to stream on Hulu.