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More than 300 piles of human remains have been found scattered across the Nevada desert. A local man initially stumbled upon more than 100 cremated body parts on July 28. They were discovered near a dirt road just outside of Searchlight, a rural community about an hour south of the Las Vegas valley. A team from Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries arrived at the scene on Wednesday to remove the piles. About 315 sets of ashes had been each placed in individual urns. Authorities launched an initial investigation which confirmed in August that the mounds were human, KLAS 8 News Now reported. However, no traceable information could be salvaged. Officials believe a funeral home out of state littered the desert with the ashes, but have not released details. Local media said a representative from that 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. Businesses are required to “preserve” the dignity of remains entrusted to them. Celena DiLullo, president of Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries, said: “I think most of us just felt like, ‘What a shame’.” She added: “I think it’s important to us to make sure that these people are not forgotten and not left.” “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.
