Kyra Hall
The tragic final moments of a man dissolving in acid at Yellowstone National Park were recorded.
Colin Scott of Portland, Oregon, visited the national park with his sister Sable in June 2016.
The 23-year-old and his sibling reportedly hiked through a prohibited area with warning signs as they searched for a place to ‘hot pot’ – the illegal practice of swimming in one of the park’s thermal pools.
Devastatingly, Colin’s sister captured his fatal fall into the hot spring on camera.
Yellowstone National Park covers 2.2 million acres and allows visitors to see wildlife in an intact ecosystem. It’s estimated that three million people visit each year.
While it may be a beautiful sight, it’s also a place of incredible danger.
Colin and his sister, who filmed their adventure, were exploring a prohibited park area.
She recorded the 23-year-old ‘intentionally’ stepping off the Norris Geyser Basin’s boardwalk as they searched for a place to ‘hot pot,’ per The Guardian.
The pair eventually reached a hot spring near the Porkchop Geyser, reports NBC News.
At this point, Colin tragically tripped and fell into the azure water, being instantly boiled alive.
A report into the incident reads: “The smartphone recorded the moment he slipped and fell into the pool and her efforts to rescue him.”
The horrifying moment was caught on camera by Sable, and in the video, she reportedly tries to rescue her brother but cannot get to him.
Due to no signal, Colin’s sister left the site and found help at a nearby museum. She returned to the incident site with park officials, yet tragically, it was far too late for Colin.
They reportedly saw parts of his head, upper torso, and hands in the hot spring.
In an incident report, U.S. park ranger Phil Strehle wrote that a V-neck style shirt was detectable and ‘what appeared to be a cross was visible and resting on the subject’s face.’
Rescuers were unable to recover Colin’s body due to an approaching storm and the ‘volatile’ thermal area.
When officials returned the next day, his remains were no longer visible.
The incident report states: “The consensus among the rescue/recovery team… was that the extreme heat of the hot spring, coupled with its acidic nature, dissolved the remains.”
It’s believed the 23-year-old’s body dissolved overnight, with the only evidence that he was ever there being a wallet and a pair of flip-flops.
Although Colin’s heartbreaking final moments were recorded, the video and description of its content have never been released out of respect for his family. Authorities have reportedly secured the footage.
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