The Dark History of Utah: Grave Robber of Salt Lake City

In the winter of 1862, Salt Lake City uncovered one of the darkest crimes in Utah history. Jean Baptiste, the town’s quiet gravedigger, had betrayed the community in a way almost too disturbing to imagine—by desecrating the very graves he was trusted to guard.

The discovery horrified families, sparked outrage across the city, and forced leaders to decide how to punish a man whose crimes seemed beyond comprehension. What they chose was unlike anything else in the American West, and it cemented Baptiste’s place as one of Utah’s most infamous figures.

Join me in the Map Room as we dig into the chilling tale of Jean Baptiste—the grave robber of Salt Lake City—and uncover how fact, folklore, and fear turned him into a legend that still haunts Utah today.

 

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