Officials at Yellowstone National Park say a human foot found floating in a hot spring last week is likely linked to the death of a person last month.
Part of a human foot inside a shoe was found floating in the park’s Abyss Pool last Tuesday, after an employee spotted it, reports The Associated Press.
The Abyss Pool is located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park.
News of that discovery led a man from Maryland to contact the National Park Service to report that he and his family had spotted a shoe, floating sole up, in the hot spring on the morning of Aug. 11.
Chris Quinn of Pasadena, Md., told the AP that he sent a photo of the shoe to the park service.
“Currently, the park believes there was no foul play,” park officials said in an online statement.
Investigators are still working to determine the circumstances surrounding the death, officials said.
At its deepest, the Abyss Pool measures about 19 metres deep and has an approximate temperature of 60 C.
Water in these hot springs can “severely burn” visitors, the service warns on its website, and it reminds tourists to stay on boardwalks and trails when around the hot springs and “exercise extreme caution” around thermal features.
“The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface,” the park warns.