Picture of the Barrel that contained the human remains. (Photo: Shawna Hollister)

UPDATE: Tuesday, May 3, 2022, @ 12:20 PM PST – Police released more information about the body found at Lake Mead on Sunday. The mode of death was by a gunshot and the deducted the person was murdered in the late 1970s-early 1980s. This determination was done due to the victim’s shoes. The shoes were a brand that was in production during that time. No other information was released. More information will be released when it becomes available.

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Lake Mead NP-

The human remains which were discovered by Hemenway Harbor around 3:00 pm PST on Sunday, May 1, 2022, have been determined to have died about 40 years ago. The Clark County Coroner’s Office determined the mode of death was murder. However, the exact cause of the murder has not been released.

Lieutenant Ray Spencer of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division announced the autopsy findings on Monday, May 2, 2022, in a media release. Lt. Spencer stated the personal items found on the body helped figure out the person was murdered in the 1980s. He did not release the items found or the identification of the individual, only that it was an adult male.

“It’s going to be a very difficult case,” Spencer said. “I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains.”

The lake has dropped incredibly fast within the last couple of years. USA Today reported, “Water levels at Lake Mead, located in Arizona and Nevada, have dropped to elevation 1,055 feet, the lowest since 1937, a year after Hoover Dam became operational and created the reservoir.”

It was reported that Lake Mead was at its highest in 1983 at 1,225 feet.

The investigation has fully been taken over by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Unit. This is an ongoing investigation and information will be released as it becomes available.

Original Article:

Human Remains Found in Barrel at Lake Mead