Human foot discovered floating in hot spring in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park officials discovered what appeared to be a human foot in a shoe in one of the deepest hot springs in the park.

The incident happened Tuesday when a park worker discovered part of a foot in a shoe floating in the Abyss Pool, located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park.

“Evidence from the investigation to date suggests that an incident involving one person likely occurred on the morning of July 31, 2022, at Abyss Pool,” Yellowstone National Park said in a statement. “Currently, the park believes there was no malicious intent.”

It’s not clear who the foot belonged to, but the park suggested there may have been a death associated with the spare body part found, although this has not been confirmed by Yellowstone or other authorities.

The Abyss Pool has a depth of over 15 meters and is one of the deepest hot springs in the park, according to Yellowstone National Park with an average temperature of about 140 degrees.

“Visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas and to exercise extreme caution around thermal features,” the park said in a statement. “The soil in hydrothermal vents is fragile and thin, and there is boiling water just below the surface.”

After the discovery of the appendage, the West Thumb Geyser Basin and parking lot were closed to park visitors, but have since reopened.

An investigation by Yellowstone National Park law enforcement is currently underway.