The National Park Service said that more human remains were recovered from the receding waters of Lake Mead for the fifth time this year.
The National Park Service said in a statement that rangers received an emergency call reporting the discovery of human skeletal remains at Swim Beach in the Leake Mead National Recreation Area at about 11:15 a.m. Saturday: “Park rangers responded and set a perimeter to recover the remains with support from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s dive team.” The Clark County Medical Examiner was contacted to determine a cause of death and an investigation is ongoing.
At least four other sets of human remains have been found this year as Lake Mead experiences historically low water levels. The drop in water levels has been cited as a reason for the discovery of a 50-gallon barrel containing the body of a man police believe was the victim of a murder in the mid-1970s or early 1980s. Last August, the federal government declared a water shortage in the Colorado River Basin for the first time, stating that the water level in Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir in the United States by volume, had fallen to 1,067 feet above sea level and was at 35% capacity.
In July, a set of human remains was found in Swim Lake and the body 22-year-old Lily Kristine Hatcher was found near the Boulder Islands where she went missing on June 30.
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