A shoe that had part of a foot in it was found drifting in a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday, officials said.
The West Thumb Geyser Basin area — which includes the Abyss Pool, where the shoe was found — was closed after the discovery but has since been reopened, per The Associated Press.
Morgan Warthin, a park spokesperson, said on Thursday that Yellowstone's officials are investigating the incident, per The Guardian. Representatives for Yellowstone National Park did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
On August 11, a Maryland man reached out to the National Park Service, CBS reported. He and his family reported that they had noticed a shoe floating in the hot spring. Chris Quinn snapped a photo of the shoe and sent it to the agency.
It's unclear whether it was the same shoe that had a partial foot inside it, but Quinn said he'd be surprised if it weren't, according to CBS.
Investigators do not suspect foul play at this time, CBS reported. Park officials believe the shoe could be linked to a July 31 death.
According to the park's website, the Abyss Pool is one of the deepest in the park, with a depth of 53 feet. A sign on the park's website warns people to stay on boardwalks and designated trails, cautioning that hydrothermal water can cause serious burns.
"You are responsible for your safety," reads the website. "Think safety, act safely. Yellowstone is a dangerous place."
Yellowstone is known for its geysers and hot pools. More than 20 people have died from severe burns after falling into hot springs in Yellowstone, per the National Park Service.
In 2021, a doctor explained on TikTok why human feet kept showing up on beaches in the Pacific Northwest. According to Dr. Karan Raj, scavenging animals in water bodies like oceans go for softer parts of the body, like ankle ligaments. This, coupled with the buoyancy of modern sneakers, causes this specific body part to float and wash up on the shore.
