There are two versions of reports on his death

There has long been a historical discussion about the circumstances surrounding Crockett's death at the Alamo. The widely accepted narrative surrounding Crockett's demise in American culture depicts a valiant final struggle and is supported by some factual data. For instance, a former African-American slave named Ben claimed that Crockett's body was discovered in the barracks surrounded by "no less than sixteen Mexican corpses," with Crockett's dagger buried in one of them. Ben had served as the cook for one of Santa Anna's officers.

However, historical data contradicts the widely accepted belief. A different story was found in the notebook of a Mexican officer called Jose Enrique de la Peña in 1975. Crockett and a few other Alamo defenders, according to Peña's account, managed to survive the conflict and were taken by the Mexicans, but they were murdered by Santa Anna practically right away. While the matter remains disputed, many researchers today agree that the Peña diary may represent the most authentic account of Crockett’s death. According to historians, de la Peña most certainly saw or heard about the executions of the Alamo survivors.