Lake Mead: More human remains found days after body in barrel discovered

More human remains have been discovered in Lake Mead less than a week after a barrel containing a body was found in the drought-struck Nevada reservoir. 

Human skeletal remains were uncovered at Callville Bay on Saturday May 7 at around 2pm, according to the National Park Service. 

Park rangers set up a perimeter around the scene and recovered the remains, while the Clark County Medical Examiner was contacted to determine the cause of death.

The investigation is ongoing.

It follows the launch of a murder investigation after a body was discovered in a barrel on Sunday May 1.

It is believed the victim died from a gunshot wound and was likely killed between the mid-1970s and early 1980s based on the shoes the victim was wearing, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said in a statement.

Police are reportedly not going to “rule out” the possibility the killing may have been Mafia-related given mob-connected casinos ruled the Las Vegas Strip in the 80s.

The barrel was discovered as an ongoing drought caused the USA’s largest reservoir’s water level to drop. 

According to the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the water level of Lake Mead dropped by nearly 150 feet since 2000 due to “drought and climate change”.

“It’s really odd in the sense that had the lake never receded, we would never have discovered the body,” Lt. Ray Spencer told the New York Times.

The victim’s identity will be released by the Clark County Coroner’s Office once it becomes available.