Deputies find body in man-made desert cave
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the afternoon, deputies found a body inside a 15-foot-deep man-made underground home.
“An individual approached some canine deputies who were training at Petrack Park and said that he was out in the desert and found a big hole in the ground,” Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times.
The man told the deputies that he found a body inside the encampment and led them to the location. The below-ground settlement was found in the desert north of Irene Street and west of Highway 160.
“It appears to be a suicide,” McGill noted about the finding.
The sheriff said it is currently unknown how long the body was inside the cave before it was found. He further stated that an identification has not been made yet and will not be known until an autopsy is completed.
“We removed the body from the hole, and we destroyed the underground home for safety purposes,” McGill explained.
Multiple residents in the neighborhood around Irene Street, including Steven Gebhart, were not aware that a body was found nearby but described the discovery as surprising.
“It’s usually pretty peaceful up here,” Gebhart said. “There’s the occasional car speeding by but that’s all. Other than that, it’s pretty quiet.”
Resident Travis Petersen wasn’t aware of the incident but added that the news didn’t sound shocking for Pahrump.
“You hear all kinds of crazy stuff going on in town. Shootings, stabbings, and everything else. I don’t know, I guess it just kind of fits the bit, unfortunately,” Petersen stated. “I don’t like to say that, but Pahrump used to be quiet and slow, not anymore, it’s just cast in chaos.”
Neighborhood resident Pamela Raneri had previously heard about the news of the body but said the incident didn’t shock her.
“There’s lots of homeless people that live in places around here that we might not know about, so it doesn’t surprise me that something like that happened,” Raneri detailed.
If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about a loved one or friend, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
