
Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
A second set of human remains has been found at Lake Mead, just days after a body was discovered inside a rusted barrel on the reservoir's shore, as water levels drop to record lows amid extreme drought, according to U.S. Drought Monitor.
Earlier this month, boaters discovered the decomposed body of a man in a barrel on a newly exposed stretch of shoreline. Las Vegas police told The Associated Press the man probably died more than 40 years ago, based on clothing and shoes found inside the barrel, and appears to have been shot. The death is currently being investigated as a homicide.
#BREAKING: The body found in a barrel at Lake Mead may have been underwater for as long as four decades and more bodies are likely to appear as the lake recedes due to severe drought, Las Vegas Metro police tell the @8NewsNow I-Team. https://bit.ly/3KDgKaK\u00a0 #8NN— David Charns (@David Charns) 1651514011
Just days later, a second set of human remains was found at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, roughly 9 miles away from the first grim discovery. The Clark County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause of death and an investigation is ongoing, according to a statement by the National Park Service.
Authorities predict more of the lake's dark secrets will come to light as prolonged drought continues to deplete the massive reservoir. Authorities report that both Lake Powell and Lake Mead have been "declining rapidly during the course of this drought, and Lake Mead is now at its lowest level since it filled."
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