The Legend of Jean Baptiste

Jean Baptiste was one of the very first gravediggers to be employed in Salt Lake City, Utah in the late 1800s. To anyone that knew him, he was punctual and professional. He arrived at work early and didn't leave until his job was completely done for the day. His friends knew him as a quiet, gentle guy. So, when it became apparent that someone had been digging up graves, no one thought to point the finger at Baptiste...

Three years after Baptiste began his work, the brother of one of the deceased visited the graveyard to excavate his brother's remains. He wanted his sibling buried in the family plot across the country. When they opened up the casket, his brother's corpse was nude and face down. 

 

Naturally, the man was outraged. He forced the city to launch an investigation into the desecration of the grave. They employed officers to keep an eye on the graveyard to figure out who was mishandling the burial plots.

One day, they saw Baptiste wheeling something from a shed into an open burial plot. Turns out, Baptiste was hauling a nude corpse from the shed into the burial plot. Its clothing was found nearby. As bizarre at this case was, they launched a full investigation into the gravedigger and searched his home.

His home was filled with clothing. Not only were there garments laying all over the place, but he had even made some of the clothing into drapes and blankets. In the basement, authorities found a vat that was meant to boil the clothing to clean them. 

After the news broke out, family members of those buried in the graveyard went to check on their loved ones. In total, over 350 graves had been hit by the gravedigger. Baptiste was tried and exiled from the city.

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Post originally appeared on Inside Mystery.