Nye County deputies search mountains north of Pahrump after skull found
Off-roaders found a human skull in the mountains north of Pahrump, and deputies are still combing the rugged area for more remains.
Off-roaders came across a human skull in the mountains north of Pahrump on Sunday evening, and Nye County deputies were still searching the area Monday for any additional remains. The discovery has become an active death investigation in one of Nevada’s most isolated stretches of desert terrain.
Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill said investigators believe the skull belongs to a person who went into the area. The skull was found around 7 p.m. Sunday, May 25, but deputies have not said exactly where in the mountain range it was located or whether anything else has turned up yet. That uncertainty has left open the central public-safety question for the Pahrump area: whether the find is an isolated discovery or part of a larger scene.
The sheriff’s office is treating the case as a potential death investigation while the search continues north of town. Pahrump sits in Nye County, the largest county by area in Nevada, where long distances, rough roads and open desert can slow both recovery efforts and identification work. The terrain north of Pahrump is especially familiar to off-road users, hunters and residents who travel outside town limits, which can make any report of human remains a matter of immediate concern.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office is based in Pahrump at 1520 E Basin Ave. Residents with information or urgent concerns can contact the office at (775) 751-7000. The discovery comes as Nye County has dealt with other recent death investigations in and around Pahrump, underscoring how difficult it can be to search and secure remote desert ground after a grim find is made.
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