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Archaeologists unable to find Pratt's remains

I wonder where he went?

Most of us have never heard this story before. What were the circumstances surrounding Elder Pratt's death? Why did Hector McLean shoot him?

PPP last wife was the previous wife of Mclean. She left McClean because he was abusive and threatening to her and their children. It escalated when she joined the church. Before she could get away from him while in California, he stole the children and sent them on a ship down around south america and back up to texas to his parents. Once the mother and parley realized what happened, they planned a way to get them back. She being in Utah by this time and married to parley, went to the parents and told them she left the Mormon faith, they believed her and let her have the children back. At this time McClean was still in California. Somehow word got back to him she had the children so he set out after her. Once she had the children she ran away with them and was to meet Parley. They were illegally arrested in Arkansas as kidnappers. McClean caught up with Parley and killed him in cold blood.

The story of how he died is recounted in several previous DesNews stories over the last week or two.

Anybody think that maybe he has his body back???

He was shot because one of the wives of Pratt divorced Mclean and then married Pratt. It was jealousy.

Thank you for this excellent article. As a student and teacher of my Church history for many years, I had wondered about Elder Pratt and what had happened to him. The News' following and reporting on this story was enlightening to me, and I appreciate also the family's efforts to locate his remains. I love singing Parley's hymns in our hymnbook. Long live Parley P. Pratt!

I wouldn't jump to the resurrection conclusion unless you found the coffin minus a body. So far, they haven't located the coffin and as far as I know, you are resurrected WITHOUT the coffin attached.

Even if you found the empty coffin, there could be several explanations of why it was empty. For example, I could see McClean and/or associates digging up his remains to desecrate them and scatter them. Or as a trophy for McClean's mantle. He was pretty ticked off.

The circumstances above relating to Pratt's death are accurate except I think the woman involved was still married to McClean. They were estranged but not divorced.

Shallow grave, warm and moist climate = complete decomposition.

I think he just dissolved. Lot of countries re-cycle grave sites every 5 years and have no problem with corpses. They just turn to dirt.

My family recently exhumed the remains of a family member that died when he was 6 months old and had been buried 60 or so years ago in another state. The baby was buried in a wood coffin. The coffin was almost completely decayed and there were very few remains found, mostly portions of a hip bone. There were no teeth found because he didn't have any yet. Since Parley was buried so long ago, it's likely his coffin was completely decayed. His remains may have been completely decayed as well.

Interesting that people would think Pratt was resurrected when Joseph Smith himself was apparently not resurrected. The reorganized church still have his bones.

For those wondering about the decomposition of a coffin, like I did, I did a little research. A typical coffin of the day, just plain wood, would have decomposed long ago. It's possible his body did too, though less likely (bones in particular). Decomposition actually happens very quickly, in a matter of months or years, when the conditions are right. So here are the options, from simple to astounding, as I see them:

1) They've got the wrong place or someone moved the body/coffin long ago.

2) Both coffin and body decomposed.

3) Body resurrected, coffin decomposed.

Thus is born a new legend/myth: "It has been proven that Parley P. Pratt has been resurrected!"

The Parley P. Pratt story needs to be "laid to rest". Most of you writing on this thread know what really happened. Those that don't, don't want to know. Not finding his remains is actually good, now there is no more story and no more discussion of why he was murdered. Best possible outcome.

At this point I'd guess that Parley doesn't care where he is buried.

His last wish was to be buried in UT. His wife probably knew of this. Anyone want to way on the chance that she exhumed the grave or had someone do it for her and bring his bones back to UT then????

To more info, the article did say a little about why it happened, not full detail.

Option 1: The wood caskets could have decomposed after 151 years as well as the remains.

Option 2: The wood caskets could have decomposed and Parley is resurrected.

Option 3: The wood caskets could have decomposed and Parley was translated.

Option 4: Records where he was buried may not be completely accurate.

To SLC gal. You apparently have not dealt with a dead body and the putrification that takes place. In those days exhuming the grave would most likely not have happened due to the decaying process and the long time it may have taken to get the body back to Utah.

as an active LDS member, I am confident 1 of two options occurred:
1) Parley P Pratt was buried elsewhere

2) Parley P Pratt decayed after over ONE & ONE HALF centuries of being in his natural element: the earth.

Ashes to ashes...dust to dust.
Stop dwelling on the mythical...it makes you sound far less than mythical.

this is all so embarrasing!

Perhaps they can dig up some other pioneer bone so we can identify their bones as family? I'd like to witness this. I know for a fact that the English believe in burring their folks today and then digging them up tomorrow...It's a very English and British tradition. It's in my blood to know as well. Parley's family may have dig up the whole cemetery to find him and then do some DNA, on some bones, to find Elder Parley Pratt. I'm supportive of this.