Mystery as more than 300 piles of human remains discovered in the desert outside Las Vegas

Daily Mail UK ^ | October 31, 2025 | JACK TOLEDO

[Red Badger]

More than 300 piles of cremated human remains have been found scattered across the Nevada desert.

A man discovered them near the remote town of Searchlight, about an hour outside Las Vegas, on July 28.

A team from Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries arrived at the scene on Wednesday to remove the piles.

They found about 315 sets of ashes and placed them each in individual urns.

It comes after officials launched an initial investigation which confirmed in August that the mounds were human, 8 News Now reported.

However, no traceable information could be salvaged from the 'cremains' - a term a staff member at the Bureau of Land Management used to refer to the piles.

Authorities believe a funeral home littered the desert with the ashes, but have not released details of any businesses suspected of being involved.

While spreading human remains is permitted on public land in Nevada, mass commercial dumping by funeral homes is illegal under state law.

Businesses are required to 'preserve' the dignity of remains which have been entrusted to them.

---

TOPICS: Outdoors; Society; Travel; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: puteminanashhole

[dfwgator]

[Az Joe]

I saw the doc on that criminal cremation place out in the desert in NV. Sick-en-ING!

[GingisK]

What goes on Vegas stays in Vegas.

[riverrunner]

They are ashes.

[fishtank]

Searchlight

“w.h.” Harry Reid’s hometown

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Searchlight%2C_Nevada

[HollyB]

Yes, 315 sets of ashes,

[Twotone]

I thought you were supposed to spread them, not leave them in piles.

[Red Badger]

...or just outside of Vegas.................

[Gasshog]

O’ dump me not on the Lone Prairie!

[econjack]

What goes on Vegas stays in Vegas.

Perhaps not.

[rdcbn1]

When Urban Legends become verified fact

[Dr. Franklin]

They are ashes.

Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. Good luck trying to track them by DNA now...

[rdcbn1]

Or up the smoke stack

[BBB333]

Well, it’d was either dat or having’ ‘m fall down an elevator shaft..

Onto some bullets.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Train station?

[Gay State Conservative]

True story:in the 1970s I started dating a local nurse who moved to Vegas. I traveled out there trying to rekindle things (and failed) but we spent a couple of days together. One day she said she wanted to see Andy Williams,who was at one of the big hotels. Walking through the lobby to get to the stage I was amazed by all the glitter and at one point I said “and to think that all this is owned by the mob”. She elbowed me in the ribs and said “shut up or they'll find you dead in the desert”.

[rdl6989]

Didn’t the mob control some funeral homes? A convenient way to dispose of bodies.

[marktwain]

An excellent way to dispose of a body...

[BradyLS]

Verified urban legends and conspiracy theories have been getting a real work-out for about the last decade or so!