by BOX » Wed Jan 10, 2018 11:05 am
X-squid, have you ever heard of Gram Parsons? He was a singer in the early 70s who died of an overdose at age 26. Anyway, your story reminded me of his. From wikipedia:
Before his death, Parsons stated that he wanted his body cremated at Joshua Tree and his ashes spread over Cap Rock, a prominent natural feature there; however, Parsons' stepfather Bob organized a private ceremony back in New Orleans and neglected to invite any of his friends from the music industry. Two accounts state that Bob Parsons stood to inherit Gram's share of his grandfather's estate if he could prove that Gram was a resident of Louisiana, explaining his eagerness to have him buried there.
To fulfill Parsons' funeral wishes, Kaufman and a friend stole his body from Los Angeles International Airport and in a borrowed hearse, they drove it to Joshua Tree. Upon reaching the Cap Rock section of the park, they attempted to cremate Parsons' corpse by pouring five gallons of gasoline into the open coffin and throwing a lit match inside. What resulted was an enormous fireball. The police gave chase but, as one account puts it, "were encumbered by sobriety," and the men escaped.
The two were arrested several days later. Since there was no law against stealing a dead body, they were only fined $750 for stealing the coffin and were not prosecuted for leaving 35 pounds (16 kg) of his charred remains in the desert. Parsons's body, what remained of it, was eventually buried in Garden of Memories Cemetery in Metairie, Louisiana.
They made a movie about it awhile back called Grand Theft Parsons starring Johnny Knoxville and Christina Applegate. I remember it being entertaining. I'm guessing probably more than finding actual remains.