Feds Investigating After Dozens of Cremated Human Remains Found in Nevada Desert By Sean Neumann 11

Federal investigators are looking into what’s reported to be at least 70 cremated human remains found dumped in the desert about an hour south of Las Vegas.

Officials with the Bureau of Land Management are investigating the human remains that were found in Searchlight, Nevada on Tuesday, Aug. 26, just off the U.S. 95 highway, according to local KLAS, Fox 5 Vegas, The Nevadan.

Investigators have yet to share more information about how they believe the human remains ended up in the desert or why. 

KLAS reported that the eerie discovery was made by a person who randomly stumbled upon the large pile of ashes strewn about in the desert and later contacted police. The caller, who KLAS has not identified, took multiple photos of the ashes showing them piled up on the remote desert dirt among cacti and bushes.

The outlet reported that Nevada law allows for people to scatter ashes on public land, however KLAS reported that there’s a “commercial” limit to how many human ashes can be disseminated in public.

No charges have been announced in relation to the investigation as of Wednesday, Aug. 27.

PEOPLE has reached out to a spokesperson with the Bureau of Land Management for more information regarding the investigation.