Hundreds of Piles of Cremated Human Remains Were Found in the Las Vegas Desert — What We Know

The deserts of Nevada hold a lot of secrets. Many of the mysteries — and bodies — that have been buried in that state are mob-related. There are urban legends about members of the mafia hiding cash, weapons, and, of course, witnesses in the vast dry land. Some people believe that's where Detroit Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa might have ended up.

Decades after Hoffa disappeared, Nevada law enforcement began sorting through a rather disturbing scene. In August 2025, the cremated human remains of an unknown number of people were discovered in the Southern Nevada desert. What happened? Here's what we know.

A spokesperson from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) confirmed that cremated human remains were found on public land south of Las Vegas, per News 3. While federal policy allows individuals to scatter cremated human remains, the amount found was large enough to warrant an investigation into the matter.

Two months later, Palm Mortuaries confirmed to News 3 that approximately 315 piles of cremated human remains would be interred at their location in downtown Las Vegas. "This remains an active investigation, and we don't have additional information to provide at this time," said BLM spokesperson Kristen Peters to the outlet.

Celena DiLullo, president of Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries, spoke with The Hill about the unusual and sad situation they found themselves tending to. When asked about the sizable amount of cremated human remains, also known as cremains, DiLullo said, "I think most of us just felt like, 'What a shame.'"

The 8 News Now Investigators were first to break the story after someone contacted them in July 2025. Some of the piles contained zip ties, which are commonly used during cremation. There were also pieces of a broken urn. "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," explained DiLullo to The Hill. "If this is not how they would want to be remembered, we would just want to have a place for them to be."

All 315 cremains will be placed in a crypt at one of the cemeteries run by Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries. DiLullo wanted to make sure their loved ones would be able to find them, but revealed that there is no identifying information available. "I think it’s important to us to make sure that these people are not forgotten and not left," she said. "It’s important to our community and our profession that we demonstrate how much we do care about these people."