After months of drought, Lake Mead in the western United States is shrinking, revealing what was previously hidden beneath the surface of the water. In the case of the reservoir, these are not only capsized boats, but also human remains.
The third body in three months has been found at the US reservoir Lake Mead near the gambling metropolis of Las Vegas because of the ever-lowering water levels. According to the US National Parks Administration, a witness alerted the authorities at the beginning of the week and informed them about the discovery of a human’s remains.
In a statement, the National Park Service said the unidentified remains were sighted late Monday afternoon at Swim Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. A protection zone has been established around the site where the human bones were found in order to recover the remains. The forensic medicine should now clarify the cause of death. The national park administration has not yet provided any further information in view of the ongoing investigation.
Lake Mead water levels have dropped significantly due to the ongoing drought in the western United States. This led to a grisly find in early May: on the dried-up shore of the reservoir, day trippers discovered a barrel containing the remains of a person who had probably been shot in the head in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Las Vegas was an organized crime hotspot at the time of the murder.
Just days after this find, another body was discovered. There is no evidence of a crime here. The authorities had already stated in May that they expected more bodies to be found in view of the falling water level.
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It was created in the 1930s as part of the Hoover Dam project and provides drinking water to 25 million people. However, because of the drought, the water level has dropped to its lowest level since the floods in 1937. According to scientists, man-made climate change is contributing to the drought in the western United States.
