A horrifying mystery is unravelling in a Nevada desert after piles of cremated human remains were discovered near Las Vegas.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that an unnamed individual stumbled across piles of ashes outside the town of Searchlight, which lies an hour south of Las Vegas (via 8 News Now).
It's understood the discovery was made back in July.
The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has now opened an investigation into where the piles of remains, which is said to have included bone fragments and burnt flesh, came from.
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Several photos from the disturbing scene have since been released online, showing multiple piles of ashes dumped across the desert landscape. Investigators are also understood to have recovered a broken urn and several zip ties from the scene.
It has since been confirmed that the ashes have been identified as human, however the BLM has not confirmed how this was done. It's not currently clear if a single person or a group is behind the remains being dumped in the location.
According to Nevada state law, it is not illegal to scatter the ashes of a loved one on public land, and BLM states that non-commercial scattering of ashes are allowed, but local land management and state laws must be checked before doing so.
The grim discovery comes just weeks after a funeral home in Las Vegas was closed down after failing to comply with regulations on promptly cremating bodies.
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According to 8 News Now, McDermott's Funeral Home and Cremation Services had failed to conduct cremations in a timely manner, including one body which wasn't cremated for 11 months.
Under state law funeral homes must dispose of remains within a timely manner, however an investigation at McDermott's found that several bodies had remained in their care for an 'extended period' of time.
However, authorities don't believe the two cases are related.
Meanwhile, a second funeral home in Colorado has also been shut down after inspectors uncovered a hidden room containing the mummified bodies of people who were meant to have been cremated.
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During the investigation at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo, Colorado, it was revealed that a total of 24 bodies had been recovered, alongside 'multiple containers' of human bones and probable human tissue.
The funeral home is understood to have had a cremation license which lasted until November 2024. However, it would appear that cremations hadn't taken place at the location for the past 10 years.
Brenna Cooper