Colin Scott: Man ‘dissolved’ in Yellowstone hot spring, officials say

Colin Scott who died at Yellowstone National Park in June likely “dissolved” in the “superheated, acidic mud pot” after falling into a hot spring, according to an incident report released by the National Park Service.

The report states that Oregon man Colin Nathaniel Scott, 23 and his sister Sable Scott were looking for a place for soaking, or “hot-potting,” KULR-8 reports.

The sister told authorities that her brother was reaching down to check the temperature of a pool around 225 yards from the boardwalk when he slipped and fell into what turned out to be a boiling, acidic pool. Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress describes the area as a “very unforgiving environment.”

After Sable Scott went for help, park rangers were able to locate her brother’s body, but they were unable to retrieve him because daylight was fading and a storm was approaching, the Guardian reports.

There were no remains to be found the next day, and rescuers concluded that the “hot spring, coupled with its acidic nature, dissolved the remains.” Sable Scott was recording video of her brother when the deadly accident happened, but officials say they won’t release the video or even a description of it.

The Washington Post notes that at least 22 people have died in Yellowstone’s geysers since 1870, including a 20-year-old cook who got into the wrong pool when park employees held a “hot-potting” party in 1975.

Agencies/Canadajournal