Back in August, news went viral of a singular human foot (with the shoe still attached) floating in an abyss pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park.
Of course, the insurmountable heat inside the abyss would be enough to nearly disintegrate a human, so somebody more than likely fell 53-feet into the abyss after getting too close.
When the news broke, Yellowstone’s Public Affairs officer Morgan Warthin shared in a statement:
“On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, an employee found part of a foot in a shoe floating in Abyss Pool, located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. An investigation is underway.
Since the discovery, rangers have reopened to visitors the temporarily closed West Thumb Geyser Basin and parking lot.
Abyss Pool has a depth of more than 50 feet and is one of the deepest hot springs in the park. Its temperature is approximately 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
The park does not have any other details to share about this incident currently. We will provide additional information to the public in the next few days.”
Now, that human foot has been identified to belonging to Il Hun Ro, a 70-year-old man from Los Angeles, California, according to the National Park Service.
Yellowstone law enforcement officers received the positive identification based on DNA analysis in the last three weeks, and have notified the victim’s family.
As of now, it’s not believed that foul play was involved, but the park is still investigating the events that led up to this.
As tragic as this is, it’s a testament to following the safety protocols that the park has put in place, like staying a safe distance away from areas like this one.
