Human remains found at Lake Mead may be from earlier set

LAS VEGAS - Human remains found at Lake Mead National Recreation Area last weekend may actually be from the same set of bones discovered 12 days earlier, authorities said on Aug. 9.

National Park Service officials said rangers were called Saturday to the reservoir between Nevada and Arizona after skeletal remains were discovered at Swim Beach.

It marked the fourth time since May that remains had been uncovered as Western drought forces the shoreline to retreat at the shrinking Colorado River reservoir behind the Hoover Dam.

But the Clark County coroner’s office said partial human remains found in the Boulder Beach area on July 25 may actually be linked to the skeletal remains discovered Saturday.

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, NEVADA - JULY 01: A vehicle towing a boat drives past a sign welcoming visitors to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on July 01, 2022 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

"At this time, the investigation into these remains includes working to determine whether the two sets of remains are from the same person or not," the coroner’s office told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

On May 1, a barrel containing human remains was found near Hemenway Harbor. Police believe the remains were that of a man who died from a gunshot wound and the body was likely dumped in the mid-1970s to early 1980s.

Six days later, authorities said human skeletal remains of another man were found at Calville Bay.

Police have speculated that more remains may be discovered as the water level at Lake Mead continues to recede.