LAKE MEAD, Nevada, July 26, 2022 (UPI) — Officials said more human remains have been found in Nevada’s Lake Mead as it experiences historically low water levels.
The National Park Service said in a statement the remains were found at Swim Beach at around 4:30 p.m. Monday after rangers received a witness report.
“Park rangers are on scene and have set a perimeter to recover the remains,” it said, adding the cause of death is to be determined by the Clark County Medical Examiner.
The brief statement did not include any identification information about the remains nor if their discovery had anything to do with the lake’s low water level.
Drought cycles over the past two decades have caused the manmade reservoir to drop from near full in 2000 to about 27% of capacity as of early this month, NASA said.
The dramatic drop in water level has been attributed to the discovery of a body found in a 50-gallon barrel in the lake in early May.
Authorities said they believe the body belonged to a person who was killed in the mid-1970s or early 1980s, and that the low water level will likely result in additional bodies to be found.
Another body was found floating on the lake days later by a group of paddleboarders, and then earlier this month, the National Park Service said a body had been found on Lake Mead near the Boulder Islands where Lily Kristine Hatcher went missing on June 30.
The coroner’s office later confirmed the remains found in early July belonged to the missing 22-year old Boulder City, Nev., resident.
