NV Unidentified remains found in Lake Mead, Nevada

As Lake Mead continues to shrink, human remains have been discovered for the fourth time since May.

National Park Service rangers received a call reporting human skeletal remains on Saturday morning at Swim Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, according to a National Park Service press release.

The Clark County Medical Examiner was called to determine the cause of death.


Three other bodies have been discovered in the shrinking lake recently. The first body was discovered in early May, and police believe it dates back to the late 1970s to early 1980s and are investigating it as a homicide, according to CNN.

The second set of remains was found on May 7 at Callville Bay and the third on July 25 at Swim Beach, according to the National Park Service.
A National Park Service spokesperson told CNN a possible explanation for some of the remains is that they could be people who drowned in the lake when the water levels were higher in the 1980s.

Water levels for the lake were at their highest in 1983 at 1225 feet.

Dropping water levels reveal a fourth set of human remains in Lake Mead

The National Park Service reported a fourth set of human remains discovered in Lake Mead on Saturday as drought continues to cause the lake to shrink. If the Lake keeps shrinking, the Hoover Dam won’t function.

www.deseret.com

How many unidentified remains will be found as Lake Mead's water levels continue to decrease? #mystery

As the water levels decrease, more remains continue to be discovered. Who were they? Part of the mob? Drowning victims?

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[Kimster]

May 1, 2022: Hemenway Harbor​

Boaters found a body inside of a barrel after extremely low water levels exposed the bottom of the lake.


Authorities said the person's belongings indicated they had died between the 1970s and 1980s. They believe the person's death was a homicide that resulted from a gunshot wound.


The barrel containing the skeletal remains was found in an area close to the lake's Hemenway Harbor, according to earlier reports from the Associated Press. That's also close to Swim Beach.

May 7, 2022: Callville Bay​

Two sisters found skeletal remains at Callville Bay. Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse believes the remains were from a person between the approximate ages of 23 and 37, according to CNN.


Rouse said this set was more skeletal than the previous remains found, which had organ tissue, CNN also reported.


The cause of death in this case remains unknown.

July 25, 2022: Swim Beach​

Reports emerged about another set of remains found at Swim Beach, according to authorities. The investigation is still ongoing and the cause of death has not been identified.

(I think this is the most recent body
Park rangers responded to reports of human skeletal remains uncovered at the lake's Swim Beach — the fourth set found at the lake since May.


Park rangers and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's dive team set a perimeter to recover the remains, officials said. The investigation is ongoing and the county's medical examiner is determining the cause of death.

A fourth set of human remains is found at Lake Mead as the water level keeps dropping

The reservoir continues to suffer from a 22-year drought that now has water levels at only 27% of capacity. That's surfaced four sets of skeletal remains in the past four months.

www.npr.org

 

[Kimster]

Yes, there were two sets of remains at Swim Beach:

National Park Service rangers received a call late Saturday morning reporting the discovery of remains at Swim Beach, which is on the southwestern end of the reservoir on the Nevada side and right next to where a set of partial human remains was found in late July. Park Service rangers and a Las Vegas Metro Police dive team later set up a perimeter and began the recovery process. The identity of the person, or how or when they died, is not yet clear. The National Park Service said an investigation is underway, and it will be up to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/08/the-bodies-keep-piling-up-at-lake-mead.html

 

[Kimster]

When in Vegas last June, each of our Uber drivers mentioned this case and I've been meaning to start a thread for quite awhile.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘I still feel it is him’: Sister says skeletal remains at Lake Mead is missing brother with Mafia ties

Further details are being shared regarding the first set of skeletal remains found earlier this year at Lake Mead.

www.nbc29.com

‘I still feel it is him’: Sister says skeletal remains at Lake Mead is missing brother with Mafia ties​

Further details are being shared regarding the first set of skeletal remains found earlier this year at Lake Mead.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department first discovered the skeletal remains at the lake in May when investigators were called about possible remains being discovered in a barrel.

Since that discovery, police said there have been three more skeletal remains found at the lake, and this week, Barbara Brock told KVVU she believes that the first set of remains could be her brother.

Brock said her brother, Bobbi Eugene Shaw, has been missing for about 45 years. She said police contacted her about collecting DNA samples because they believe her brother matches the description of the body inside that barrel.

“Bob went missing in 1977, and of course, all these years, we have wondered where he is at,” Brock said. “If he is alive or dead.”

Police said the timeframe of when Shaw went missing also matched the timetable of the remains.

Brock said her brother was involved with the Mafia, which may have had some connection to his disappearance.

Police said the person’s death was a homicide and possibly mob-related.

“When they found the first body in the barrel, I knew it was him,” Brock said. “I still feel it is him.”

Brock said she hopes for some concrete answers.

“We are praying that it is Bob,” she said. “I know he is gone, but a definite knowing would make me feel better.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

More skeletal remains found at Lake Mead

More sjeltal remains have been found at the lake.

idahonews.com

More skeletal remains found at Lake Mead​

More skeletal remains have been found at the lake.

Lake Mead Park Officials said that Rangers and LVMPD’s Dive Team are investigating the discovery of skeletal remains near Swim Beach.

In a statement, the National Park Service says the remains were discovered at about 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15.

 

[Mel70]

View attachment 15718

As Lake Mead continues to shrink, human remains have been discovered for the fourth time since May.

National Park Service rangers received a call reporting human skeletal remains on Saturday morning at Swim Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, according to a National Park Service press release.

The Clark County Medical Examiner was called to determine the cause of death.


Three other bodies have been discovered in the shrinking lake recently. The first body was discovered in early May, and police believe it dates back to the late 1970s to early 1980s and are investigating it as a homicide, according to CNN.

The second set of remains was found on May 7 at Callville Bay and the third on July 25 at Swim Beach, according to the National Park Service.
A National Park Service spokesperson told CNN a possible explanation for some of the remains is that they could be people who drowned in the lake when the water levels were higher in the 1980s.

Water levels for the lake were at their highest in 1983 at 1225 feet.

Dropping water levels reveal a fourth set of human remains in Lake Mead

The National Park Service reported a fourth set of human remains discovered in Lake Mead on Saturday as drought continues to cause the lake to shrink. If the Lake keeps shrinking, the Hoover Dam won’t function.

www.deseret.com

How many unidentified remains will be found as Lake Mead's water levels continue to decrease? #mystery

As the water levels decrease, more remains continue to be discovered. Who were they? Part of the mob? Drowning victims?

www.crimewatchers.net

Could be the remains of people who drowned?.

 

[Guess Who]

Could be the remains of people who drowned?.

not the ones stuffed in barrels

 

[Kimster]

More skeletal remains found at Lake Mead

More sjeltal remains have been found at the lake.

idahonews.com

More skeletal remains found at Lake Mead​

More skeletal remains have been found at the lake.

Lake Mead Park Officials said that Rangers and LVMPD’s Dive Team are investigating the discovery of skeletal remains near Swim Beach.

In a statement, the National Park Service says the remains were discovered at about 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15.

I wonder if there are three different people in the swim beach area? Or scattered remains? I guess they’ll have to figure that out too.

 

[Kimster]

Human remains found at Lake Mead more than three months ago have been identified as Thomas Erndt, who is believed to have died by drowning two decades ago, authorities in Nevada said Wednesday.
Erndt's remains, found in the lake's Callville Bay area on May 7, were identified through investigative information, DNA analysis and reports of the original incident, according to a news release from the Clark County Office of Communications & Strategy.
The 42-year-old from Las Vegas reportedly drowned August 2, 2002, authorities said, though the official cause and manner of death were undetermined Wednesday.



Erndt's remains are one of at least three sets of human remains discovered since May at the lake, where water levels have been plummeting to unprecedented lows as the drought crisis persists in the West.

Human remains found in receding Lake Mead identified as man who reportedly drowned two decades ago, officials say

Human remains found at Lake Mead more than three months ago have been identified as Thomas Erndt, who is believed to have died by drowning two decades ago, authorities in Nevada said Wednesday.

www.cnn.com

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Skeletal remains found in Lake Mead identified as North Las Vegas man

One of the three sets of skeletal remains found in Lake Mead last year have been identified as a North Las Vegas man, according to Clark County on Tuesday.

www.fox5vegas.com

By Michael Bell
Published: Mar. 28, 2023 at 5:48 PM EDT|Updated: 13 hours ago

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - One of the three sets of skeletal remains found in Lake Mead last year have been identified as a North Las Vegas man, according to Clark County on Tuesday.

On Oct. 17, 2022 the remains were found in the Callville Bay area by contractors working near the marina. More remains were found on Oct. 19 and it was determined they belonged to the same person.

They have been identified as Donald Smith of North Las Vegas, 39 at the time of his reported drowning in April of 1974. His manner of death was ruled to be accidental.

Skeletal remains found May 7, 2022 were determined to be of Thomas Erndt of Las Vegas.

The remains found in a barrel May 1, 2022 were determined to be a man who died from a gunshot wound, but the decedent remains unidentified.

Remains found on July 25, Aug. 6 and Aug. 16 of 2022 were determined to all belong to the same person, the Clark County Coroner said. That person is still unidentified.

 

[Kimster]

Skeletal remains found in Lake Mead identified as North Las Vegas man

One of the three sets of skeletal remains found in Lake Mead last year have been identified as a North Las Vegas man, according to Clark County on Tuesday.

www.fox5vegas.com

By Michael Bell
Published: Mar. 28, 2023 at 5:48 PM EDT|Updated: 13 hours ago

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - One of the three sets of skeletal remains found in Lake Mead last year have been identified as a North Las Vegas man, according to Clark County on Tuesday.

On Oct. 17, 2022 the remains were found in the Callville Bay area by contractors working near the marina. More remains were found on Oct. 19 and it was determined they belonged to the same person.

They have been identified as Donald Smith of North Las Vegas, 39 at the time of his reported drowning in April of 1974. His manner of death was ruled to be accidental.

Skeletal remains found May 7, 2022 were determined to be of Thomas Erndt of Las Vegas.

The remains found in a barrel May 1, 2022 were determined to be a man who died from a gunshot wound, but the decedent remains unidentified.

Remains found on July 25, Aug. 6 and Aug. 16 of 2022 were determined to all belong to the same person, the Clark County Coroner said. That person is still unidentified.

So there's only one that was in a barrel? I thought there were two.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Coroner: Lake Mead bones were Vegas man missing since 1998

Human remains found last summer at drought-stricken Lake Mead have been identified as a...

www.sfgate.com

April 26, 2023

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Human remains found last summer at drought-stricken Lake Mead have been identified as a Las Vegas man missing since July 1998, authorities said Wednesday.

Claude Russell Pensinger was 52 at the time, the Clark County coroner’s office said, noting that his bones were found over the course of three days last July and August on newly exposed shoreline near the Boulder Beach swimming area. A cause of death was not determined, a coroner’s statement said.

A telephone call to possible family members was not returned, and Las Vegas police Officer Robert Wicks said it will take time to determine if the department has a missing person report related to Pensinger.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Lake Mead investigators optimistic about solving body in the barrel homicide case

Receding waters at Lake Mead have led to a series of recent discoveries on its shore, including a barrel found with a still-unidentified body inside.

abcnews.go.com

ByAllie Weintraub and Keren Schiffman
May 4, 2023, 9:36 AM

Las Vegas investigators are optimistic they'll be able to determine the identity of a homicide victim whose body was discovered inside a barrel last May on the shoreline of Lake Mead.

"One of the most important things to me ultimately is that we solve our investigations. If there's a way for us to forensically solve that investigation using the DNA lab, we will do it. We have a 90% solve rate for a reason," Las Vegas Metro Lt. Jason Johansson said in "Secrets of the Lake," a special 1-hour "20/20" airing May 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

The body was later determined to be that of a man who died of a gunshot wound around 40 to 50 years ago, according to Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse. The remains are still being tested for DNA in a process that could take a year or more, in part due to a backlog of cases.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Investigators release simulated images to identify man found inside barrel in Lake Mead in 2022

The unidentified man’s case is one of four involving multiple sets of remains that were found in Lake Mead last year.

www.whio.com

By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
December 02, 2023 at 3:16 pm EST

CLARK COUNTY, Nev. — Officials released simulated images earlier this week of a man who was found in a barrel in Lake Mead last year in hopes of trying to identify him.

The barrel was found at the Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead in May 2022, Clark County officials say. The man died from a gunshot wound. The man’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The FBI constructed simulated images of hte man’s face of the recovered remains in hopes of trying to identify him, officials said, according to CNN. The images provide different angles of the simulated face. Investigators are seeking help from the public to see if they recognize the man in the images.

The barrel was found by a visitor, according to CNN. They were able to see that the barrel was corroded.

At the time, investigators believe that person was killed in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, according to CNN. That was based on the clothing and shoes the victim was found wearing.

Officials said, according to CNN, that the remains were in advanced stages of decomposition which made the process of extracting DNA very difficult. The barrel was found in 2022 because of the receded shoreline at Lake Mead.

The unidentified man’s case is one of four cases involving multiple sets of remains that were found in Lake Mead last year, according to Clark County officials. The coroner’s office has been able to identify the remains of the three other cases.

• Claude Russell Pensinger disappeared at the age of 52 in July of 1998. His remains were found in the summer of 2022. His remains were identified earlier this year but his cause of death was ruled undetermined, Clark County officials say. His remains were found by Boulder Beach.
• Donald P. Smith was believed to have drowned in April 1974 at the age of 39. His remains were located at Callville Bay in Oct. 2022. They were identified earlier this year. His death, according to CNN, was ruled as accidental.
• Thomas Erndt was believed to have drowned in Aug. 2022 at the age of 42. He was found in May 2022 in the Callville Bay area. He was identified in Aug. 2022. The cause and manner of this death are undetermined, Clark County officials say.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Out of all the remains founds has aI female been found? I see the new posts over time and just assume it is a man.

I don't mean anything by it so much as it just dawned on me that I do that and it always is. Contrary to so many other crimes we see/follow which are largely women and children and dare say most drownings or water recoveries are children sadly. All are sad.

This just seems to fit with the whole mob/mafia hit thing.

In the post above we have two undetermineds and an accidental. Hmm. I get they have been in the lake a long time in most cases.

How many is this total now?

 

[Summer_Breeze]

https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/recognize-these-items-they-could-help-id-body-found-in-barrel-at-lake-mead/

by: David Charns
Posted: Jun 20, 2024 / 08:51 AM EDT
Updated: Jun 20, 2024 / 08:51 AM EDT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It’s been more than two years since a body was found concealed in a barrel at Lake Mead. Investigators have yet to identify the victim, despite countless efforts. Now, they’re hoping the clothes and shoes he was wearing could help identify him.

On May 1, 2022, boaters discovered the man’s body concealed in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor. County officials said the man died from a gunshot wound, with the manner of his death being homicide. Nexstar’s KLAS first reported the discovery.

Las Vegas Metro police suspect the man was killed in the 1980s based on personal items in the barrel. The victim was wearing clothing and shoes sold at Kmart stores in the mid-to-late 1970s, police said.

The man was wearing a 2X Idletime button-down short-sleeve shirt and jeans with a Vidal Sasson-style design on the pocket, according to NamUs. The jeans have a 46-inch waist and are 30 inches long.

The person also had size 11 Trax tennis shoes and a silver Timex digital watch.

Last year, Clark County officials released a digital composite of what they believe the man looked like.

Homicide detectives had requested DNA from multiple families to help solve the case of the body in the barrel, Metro police previously told KLAS. The families were chosen from several unsolved missing persons cases from that time.

There is no timeline nor a deadline for when the remains could be identified. The coroner’s office works with an outside agency to test for DNA, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse previously said.

While DNA can be pulled from bone, the quality of the remains plays a part in the identification process, the Clark County coroner previously told KLAS.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Photos at link. ~Summer

 

[GrandmaBear]

https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/recognize-these-items-they-could-help-id-body-found-in-barrel-at-lake-mead/

by: David Charns
Posted: Jun 20, 2024 / 08:51 AM EDT
Updated: Jun 20, 2024 / 08:51 AM EDT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It’s been more than two years since a body was found concealed in a barrel at Lake Mead. Investigators have yet to identify the victim, despite countless efforts. Now, they’re hoping the clothes and shoes he was wearing could help identify him.

On May 1, 2022, boaters discovered the man’s body concealed in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor. County officials said the man died from a gunshot wound, with the manner of his death being homicide. Nexstar’s KLAS first reported the discovery.

Las Vegas Metro police suspect the man was killed in the 1980s based on personal items in the barrel. The victim was wearing clothing and shoes sold at Kmart stores in the mid-to-late 1970s, police said.

The man was wearing a 2X Idletime button-down short-sleeve shirt and jeans with a Vidal Sasson-style design on the pocket, according to NamUs. The jeans have a 46-inch waist and are 30 inches long.

The person also had size 11 Trax tennis shoes and a silver Timex digital watch.

Last year, Clark County officials released a digital composite of what they believe the man looked like.

Homicide detectives had requested DNA from multiple families to help solve the case of the body in the barrel, Metro police previously told KLAS. The families were chosen from several unsolved missing persons cases from that time.

There is no timeline nor a deadline for when the remains could be identified. The coroner’s office works with an outside agency to test for DNA, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse previously said.

While DNA can be pulled from bone, the quality of the remains plays a part in the identification process, the Clark County coroner previously told KLAS.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Photos at link. ~Summer

What are they saying in that last cryptic sentence, there is no bone?

Also why are they describing the clothing rather than showing an example? Can't find one and his are in too ba of shape?

I can't understand how they can make out a brand of jeans and the fact the shoes are Trax yet hint that there aren't bones to take DNA from? So the jeans did not deteriorate but the bones did?

I never knew a man in my life who bought his clothing at K-Mart. I'm not being insulting or sarcastic, I'm serious. It was our main store of that type back in the day in my town and no one I'd known in my entire life all the years K-Mart was there did I ever know any guy who bought their clothing there, much less all of it. It would have been Levis at JC Penneys or cheaper brands at Farm and Fleet, like Lee for one, shirts and shoes would have been bought at either of those two as well. So to me, that alone is unusual and hopefully someone knows a guy that is missing that did because I doubt it is that common.

Of course I'm Midwest where no guy would have been seen in jeans with a Vidal design on the pocket in those years. Imo. I'm not sure I even knew K-mart carried such for men back in the day although honestly our K-mart I don't think existed yet in the 70s-I remember being in one in those years but it was not in our town. Anyone recall such for jeans and know any guys who bought their clothes there? I guess what I mean is his entire outfit it sounds like came from K-Mart and in that case, it is like he may have went out and bought such being in need of clothing or for a trip, he went to one place and bought an outfit or entire wardrobe. I just find it a bit unusual. For most of us, I'd say if we were found, our shoes would be from one place, our top from another, and our jeans from yet another store, etc. Doesn't that seem just a little bit odd in and of itself?

 

[Guess Who]

https://www.cbs17.com/news/national-news/recognize-these-items-they-could-help-id-body-found-in-barrel-at-lake-mead/

by: David Charns
Posted: Jun 20, 2024 / 08:51 AM EDT
Updated: Jun 20, 2024 / 08:51 AM EDT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It’s been more than two years since a body was found concealed in a barrel at Lake Mead. Investigators have yet to identify the victim, despite countless efforts. Now, they’re hoping the clothes and shoes he was wearing could help identify him.

On May 1, 2022, boaters discovered the man’s body concealed in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor. County officials said the man died from a gunshot wound, with the manner of his death being homicide. Nexstar’s KLAS first reported the discovery.

Las Vegas Metro police suspect the man was killed in the 1980s based on personal items in the barrel. The victim was wearing clothing and shoes sold at Kmart stores in the mid-to-late 1970s, police said.

The man was wearing a 2X Idletime button-down short-sleeve shirt and jeans with a Vidal Sasson-style design on the pocket, according to NamUs. The jeans have a 46-inch waist and are 30 inches long.

The person also had size 11 Trax tennis shoes and a silver Timex digital watch.

Last year, Clark County officials released a digital composite of what they believe the man looked like.

Homicide detectives had requested DNA from multiple families to help solve the case of the body in the barrel, Metro police previously told KLAS. The families were chosen from several unsolved missing persons cases from that time.

There is no timeline nor a deadline for when the remains could be identified. The coroner’s office works with an outside agency to test for DNA, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse previously said.

While DNA can be pulled from bone, the quality of the remains plays a part in the identification process, the Clark County coroner previously told KLAS.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Photos at link. ~Summer

" 2X Idletime button-down short-sleeve shirt and jeans with a Vidal Sasson-style design on the pocket, according to NamUs. The jeans have a 46-inch waist and are 30 inches long."

That was one big dude!

 

[Guess Who]

Investigators release simulated images to identify man found inside barrel in Lake Mead in 2022

The unidentified man’s case is one of four involving multiple sets of remains that were found in Lake Mead last year.

www.whio.com

By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
December 02, 2023 at 3:16 pm EST

CLARK COUNTY, Nev. — Officials released simulated images earlier this week of a man who was found in a barrel in Lake Mead last year in hopes of trying to identify him.

The barrel was found at the Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead in May 2022, Clark County officials say. The man died from a gunshot wound. The man’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The FBI constructed simulated images of hte man’s face of the recovered remains in hopes of trying to identify him, officials said, according to CNN. The images provide different angles of the simulated face. Investigators are seeking help from the public to see if they recognize the man in the images.

The barrel was found by a visitor, according to CNN. They were able to see that the barrel was corroded.

At the time, investigators believe that person was killed in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, according to CNN. That was based on the clothing and shoes the victim was found wearing.

Officials said, according to CNN, that the remains were in advanced stages of decomposition which made the process of extracting DNA very difficult. The barrel was found in 2022 because of the receded shoreline at Lake Mead.

The unidentified man’s case is one of four cases involving multiple sets of remains that were found in Lake Mead last year, according to Clark County officials. The coroner’s office has been able to identify the remains of the three other cases.

• Claude Russell Pensinger disappeared at the age of 52 in July of 1998. His remains were found in the summer of 2022. His remains were identified earlier this year but his cause of death was ruled undetermined, Clark County officials say. His remains were found by Boulder Beach.
• Donald P. Smith was believed to have drowned in April 1974 at the age of 39. His remains were located at Callville Bay in Oct. 2022. They were identified earlier this year. His death, according to CNN, was ruled as accidental.
• Thomas Erndt was believed to have drowned in Aug. 2022 at the age of 42. He was found in May 2022 in the Callville Bay area. He was identified in Aug. 2022. The cause and manner of this death are undetermined, Clark County officials say.

with a 46" waist, I would think his face would be much, much fuller than that.