More than 300 collections of human remains have been discovered, initiating a significant inquiry into the disturbing find. Located near the secluded town of Seachlight, approximately 50 miles from Las Vegas in the Nevada desert, a man stumbled upon the piles. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) confirmed the ongoing investigation following the revelation on July 28, with officials now in the process of removing the more than 300 collections.
A group from Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries was observed on Wednesday as they arrived to individually place around 315 sets of ashes into urns. Initially, approximately 70 piles of ashes were found along a dirt road, with images showing the grey assortments clustered amidst cacti and rugged hills in the backdrop.
The BLM, in collaboration with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, is actively looking into the discovery. An update from the BLM stated that no identifiable information could be extracted from the cremated remains.
It is suspected that a funeral parlor may have discarded the ashes, although authorities have not disclosed any specific businesses under scrutiny. While Nevada does not prohibit the scattering of cremated remains on public land by individuals, commercial funeral homes engaging in mass dumping are violating the law.
Celena DiLullo, the president of Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries, expressed regret, stating, “I think most of us just felt like, ‘What a shame.'” Despite the absence of details to identify individuals or a crematorium, recovered zip ties, commonly used to seal ash bags at crematories, and fragments of broken urns were found.
Emphasizing the importance of honoring the deceased, Ms. DiLullo remarked, “It’s important to us to make sure that these people are not forgotten and not left. It’s important to our community and our profession that we demonstrate how much we do care about these people.” She also pondered on whether the individuals would have desired their current state, stating, “If this is not how they would want to be remembered, we would just want to have a place for them to be.”
Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries intend to inter all 315 remains in a crypt at one of their cemeteries for easy retrieval by loved ones, while authorities continue their investigation into the matter.