Foot found floating in Yellowstone hot spring belonged to 70-year-old L.A. man who died in 1967
A dead body, apparently that of a man, was found Saturday morning at a hot spring in the Yellowstone National Park area, park officials said.
Authorities said the victim was a man, between the ages of 60 and 70, who died about three weeks ago.
He was believed to be a tourist who was hiking at Mount Washburn, park spokesman Mike Fergus said.
He said a trail guide discovered the body Saturday morning, about 12 miles outside Yellowstone, and notified authorities, who responded immediately.
The body was found in the bathtub of a hot spring, officials said.
Fergus said the hot spring was “within about 500 feet of a trail entrance and there was no clear evidence of foul play.”
When park rangers went to the hot spring later in the day, park officials confirmed the body was that of an old-timer. The hot spring was shut down for safety reasons because of hazardous mold, Fergus said.
Fergus praised the alert trail guide, who located the body and notified the rangers.
“He was very respectful and did what he could do to make sure the rangers got him there,” Fergus said.
The hot spring is a popular destination for visitors from around the country, as well as from the Pacific island of Guam.
“We were very concerned for the community since we are in close proximity to the hot spring and we want everyone to be safe,” said Dave Bannister, superintendent of the park.
The hot spring is used as a source of water for the park’s visitor center, which is located about 10 miles from the popular hot spring hike. Visitors are asked to keep their water bottles at the hot spring base instead of down by the hot spring water.
The rangers also have closed down a stream near the hot spring due to high levels of bacteria in the water
