More than 300 piles of human remains have been discovered scattered across the Nevada desert, prompting an investigation by local authorities. The grim find was made on July 28 when a local man stumbled upon over 100 cremated body parts near a dirt road outside Searchlight, a rural community about an hour south of Las Vegas.
A team from Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries arrived on Wednesday to remove the piles, which consisted of approximately 315 sets of ashes, each placed in individual urns. Initial investigations confirmed in August that the mounds were human, according to KLAS 8 News Now.
Officials believe a funeral home from another state is responsible for dumping the ashes, but have not released further details. Local media reported that a representative from the business has repeatedly denied any involvement. While spreading human remains is permitted on public land in Nevada, mass commercial dumping by funeral homes is illegal under state law, which requires businesses to preserve the dignity of remains entrusted to them.
Celena DiLullo, president of Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries, expressed dismay at the discovery. 'I think most of us just felt like, 'What a shame',' she said. 'I think it's important to us to make sure that these people are not forgotten and not left.' She added, 'I don't know if it was the wishes of these people to be out, so that's kind of what goes through my mind. If this is not how they would want to be remembered, we would just want to have a place for them to be.'
The Bureau of Land Management and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continue to investigate the incident.
