A horrifying scene was discovered in a remote desert after 70 piles of human remains were found. An anonymous source said they made the discovery near a dirt road outside of Searchlight – a small town outside of Las Vegas. The person told the local media outlet TV station 8 that they found not just bones and ash, but what appeared to be burned flesh. 

Chilling images from the scene show fragments of bone and mineral residue strewn across the arid landscape. Some of the cremated remains were sectioned into piles while others were scattered in the bushes and among cacti. Investigators at the site said they also found fragments of zip ties and a broken urn. The origin of the remains currently remains unknown, and it is unclear if a group or a single individual was responsible.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has now opened up an investigation into the findings. Under BLM policy, individuals are allowed to scatter cremated remains but restricts commercial distribution.

Under Nevada law, there is also no prohibition against scattering ashes on public land. 

The remains were discovered on July 28 about an hour south of the Las Vegas Valley, and are said to be a result of a formal cremation – a process in which a body is placed into a chamber as hot as 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Within just a few hours, the body is reduced to bone fragments which are then processed into sand-like ash. 

BLM has confirmed the ashes are human remains, yet they have not said how they reached that conclusion. Forensic experts are needed to identify and confirm through microscopic analysis of the fragments, as well as chemical testing calcium and phosphate levels. 

Prior to the discovery, 8 News Now reported that McDermott’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Las Vegas was shut down as it failed to cremate or bury bodies quick enough. 

In one case, a woman’s body was not cremated after 11 months of being deceased, and a further seven were left for prolonged periods of time too. 

Local law states that funeral homes should bury or cremate a body “within a reasonable time after death”.