All Rights Reserved, Fourth set of human remains discovered in Lake Mead as water levels reach unprecedented lows, Lake Powell: A dwindling gem in the desert in need of long-term solutions, Rockfalls and metal dust: The Western droughts impact on our lakes. Between a plethora of animal remains, an uncovered World War II-era power boat, and now three dead bodies, Lake Mead is looking increasingly more ominous. Homicide investigators believe the body was placed in the barrel in . Climate Change Smith met the I-Team at Lake Mead recently, about 30 miles from the infamous gambling strip that was controlled by Chicago gangsters in the 1970s and 1980s, right when several mob-linked men vanished. A formerly sunken boat sits upright into the air with its stern stuck in the mud along the shoreline of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, on June 10, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev. Another body has been uncovered in the shrinking reservoir, according to officials. In some instances, that means help putting down old cases. First, the dropping lake level exposed Las Vegas's uppermost drinking water intake on 25 April, forcing the regional water authority to switch to a deep-lake intake it completed in 2020 to. A decomposing barrel along the shores of Lake Mead, near the spot where a victim who appeared to die from a gunshot wound was discovered in another barrel. We have to dive in there and find the bodies," Green said. No Outfit connections. No other details were available, Kulin said, except that the remains were found in the water. There is no shortage of possible skeletonized victims killed by the Chicago mob. Find out here: https://lawandcrime.com/where-to-watch/Subscribe direct to Law \u0026 Crime and stream all broadcast content here: https://lawandcrime.com/stream/#LasVegas #LakeMead #BrianRossInvestigates A stock photo shows Lake Mead. This was the third skeleton to be found in this area of the lake. And now the water supply is dropping so the bodies are bobbing up," said Michael Green, University of Nevada Las Vegas history professor. It's theorized that these bodies are connected to Las Vegas mob hits. Six days later, at 2 p.m., a person at the park reported finding remains on the northwestern side of the lake, at Callville Bay, the park service said. As Lake Mead continues to shrink, human remains have been discovered for the fourth time since May. In May, one body was found in a barrel with a bullet hole in the skull with clothing from the 1970s or 1980s. Nine days later, on a Monday night, more skeletal remains were found at the same beach, the park service said. Vandermark, a friend of Smith's family, worked at the mob-linked now-defunct Stardust as slot manager. One set of remains, discovered in the Callville Bay area, were subsequently identified by medical examiners as those of Thomas Erndt, a 42-year-old father who drowned in 2002. I dont think they ever found the body, Mr. Green said. New study says worst in 1,200 years. One name surfaces frequently. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the minimum water surface level needed to generate power at the dam is 1,050 feet. READ MORE: Are there Chicago Outfit ties to 5th skeleton found in Lake Mead's potential watery mob graveyard? Sixty-two (38.9%) reported the last time they have found a dead body was within the last 3 years, 22 (13.6%) 4 to 6 years ago, and 77 (47.5%) more than 6 years ago. In Las Vegas, the obsession with the Lake Mead remains combines anxiety about the citys dwindling water supply with the fascination over how mobsters shaped the Mojave Desert outpost into a glittering gambling haven, where pleasure-seekers float down lazy rivers and frolic in colossal pools amid the parched landscape. Unlike previous discoveries including the first body, which was found in barrel in May and is suspected to be linked to a mob murder in the 70s officials dont currently suspect foul play. Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse has since preliminarily ruled the cause and manner of death was homicide by gunshot and also said her office is submitting specimens from the remains to try to. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. More artifacts and bones are expected to surface as water levels continue to wane. "There, I think it might have been a bit more likely that if you ran afoul of the Chicago Outfit, they'd take you for a ride out to the desert. It continues to diminish and is about 27% full. One body has been identified as Thomas Erndt, who drowned 20 years ago in the reservoir, according to ABC News. Some of the remains found in Lake Mead may be connected to the Las Vegas mob But what about the others? But detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the victim in the barrel appeared to have died from a gunshot wound, likely in the mid-1970s or early 1980s based on clothing and footwear. Now it's evaporating and causing water levels to fall more than 150 feet. At the Mob Museum downtown, tourists with beers in hand take in exhibitions describing the citys blood-splattered past. Las Vegas police believe he was a murder victim who died from a gunshot wound. 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. Are there Chicago Outfit ties to 5th skeleton found in Lake Mead's potential watery mob graveyard? Even before the water levels began dropping, Lake Mead was considered one of America's deadliest national parks. But what the mob may have intended to stay in a Vegas lake has now begun floating to the surface, as a popular recreational area just east of Sin City dries up in a drought. As the water level of the nation's largest man-made reservoir keeps receding due to drought, human bodies keep emerging. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. I'm sure there are going to be more," Schafter told the Las Vegas Review Journal. Since 2013, Schafer and other volunteers have pulled 10 to 12 bodies from the lake. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP - Getty Images file, Receding waters reveal body stuffed in barrel on shore of Nevada's Lake Mead, Fourth set of human remains found at Lake Mead since May, Historically low water levels in Lake Mead. What it means: It appears over the years the reservoir has become the dumping ground for bodies, perhaps even victims of mob violence. A firearm was also recovered in "close proximity" to where one of the human remains was found, though it is unclear if it is connected, police said Thursday. "There are a lot of bodies which have still not been found at the bottom of Lake Mead. Several other relics from the past have also emerged this year, including a sunken second world war-era vessel designed to carry troops into beachfront battles during deployment at Normandy. Paying more despite good credit? Earlier this year, in an historic first, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cut releases by a half million acre-feet from Lake Powell to the lower basin states of Arizona and Nevada, as well as Mexico. Green said he suspects Chicago mob figures are the most likely remains in the water, and that there are probably more to come. Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. Its inevitable, Michael Green, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told the Guardian this summer, noting that the area flooded by the man-made lake had an abundance of archeological sites. Most are just legitimately drowning victims but I'm sure there are some nefarious ones out there, like the news is reporting and the [body in the] barrel. All rights reserved. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much After reaching record lows this summer, levels have rebounded slightly and Lake Mead is now 28% full. Now its a town that puts it on billboards.. 5 dead bodies surfaced near Las Vegas in 3 months. The next day, a park dive team found additional skeletal remains, although it remains unclear if those belong to the same person. Now just 30 percent full, Lake Mead has already fallen to its lowest level since it was filled during the Great Depression, raising fears in places such as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., that also draw water from the reservoir above the Hoover Dam. Human remains unveiled in Lake Mead's low water levels last year have finally been identified as a Las Vegas man who went missing years ago, local authorities said this week. For a price of $119.95, visitors can take a mob tour that features sites where a car bombing and other underworld activities took place. As its water levels continue to drop, officials believe that Lake Mead has hundreds more bodies waiting to be found. Its been sad to watch the lake drop, Green said, adding: The islands appear, the bathtub ring, the marina being moved out further and further.. By Marlene Lenthang. "But the chances are not good.". Another set of remains was found on May 7 in the parks Callville Bay area. The Lake contains 28.23 million acre-feet (34,820,000 megaliters) of water but remained below full capacity since 1983 due to drought and increased water demand. Dan Kulin, a Clark County spokesperson, said in an email that they were from a man believed to be between the age of 23 and 38. One body has been identified as Thomas Erndt, who drowned 20 years ago in the reservoir, according to ABC News. There are suspicions that the Chicago mob killed some or all of them-perhaps during the heyday of Anthony "Ant" Spilotro, who supervised Chicago Outfit rackets in Vegas in the 1970s and into the 1980s. It's the lowest level on record for the. But lately, it's been stricken by a terrible drought and coyotes roam a shoreline now haunted by a hidden past and sordid questions. 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 Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner is assisting with determining the cause of death, the park service said. Two former police officers who now co-host a Las Vegas podcast are offering a US$5,000 reward for qualified divers to find more barrels, and possibly more bodies in Lake Mead. The valve had been in service since 1971, but it can no longer draw water, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority. As Ms. Melvin put it: Theres a whole lot of mystery around them.. Anyone can read what you share. "There are also historic and prehistoric sites under Lake Mead, and if burials associated with those sites washed out, they would most likely be totally skeletal. Human remains discovered at Boulder Beach on Lake Mead in Nevada during July and August 2022 have been identified as a 52-year-old man who disappeared in 1998, according to the Clark County Coroner's office. On July 25 and Aug. 6, human remains were also discovered at Swim Beach. Two dead bodies were found in Lake Mead just outside of Las Vegas. 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. In one notorious cold case, the influential president of the Riviera hotel, Gus Greenbaum, and his wife, Bess, were killed at their Phoenix home after suspicions surfaced that he had been stealing from fellow investors. A metal barrel containing the remains of a person killed about four decades ago was found on Sunday on the shore of Nevada's Lake Mead, a discovery that the Las Vegas Metropolitan . Authorities in Las Vegas declined to discuss the corpses found at Lake Mead. Recreation at the lake has also been impacted by drought conditions and several areas and boat launches have had to close due to low water levels, according to the National Park Service. A dead fish sits in shallow water on the banks of Lake Mead near the Lake Mead Marina on August 19, 2022 in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. Johnnie Pappas being another," said Smith. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. With the help of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's dive team, park rangers responded and set up a perimeter to retrieve the body, the NPS said. They believe that he was killing people were having people killed on a regular basis," said Geoff Schumacher, Vice President of Exhibits and Programs at the Las Vegas Mob Museum. Federal authorities announced this month that they would delay releases from the Colorado River into Lake Mead, about 30 miles east of Las Vegas, dwindling it even more. But in Las Vegas, a town where the seedy underbelly is part of the draw, macabre fascination and amateur sleuthing have quickly followed. "A barrel has a signature of a mob hit," Geoff Schumacher, vice president of The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas, told the Associated Press. The discoveries of two sets of human remains in Nevada's Lake Mead are just the latest instances of climate change's impact as the bodies were exposed amid low water levels. The lakes water levels need to remain above 1000 feet for the Hoover Dam to operate at normal levels and as of July 18, water levels are at 1041 feet. The remains were the second found in Lake Mead in less than a week. While Lake Mead has long seen mishaps and foul play, Michael Green, 57, a historian who grew up in Las Vegas, noted that mob figures often preferred to carry out execution-style killings away from the city, in efforts to shield the gambling industry from bad publicity. In a news release, the coroner's office stated medical examiners identified the remains as Las Vegas resident Claude Russell Pensinger, noting "The identification was ", SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Secret Chinese Police Stations in Europe Are 'Tip of the Iceberg', Trump's Attorney Just Blew Carroll Rape Case, King Charles Says Royals Require 'Acting Ability', Ukraine Will Regain 'Significant Territory' From Russia, Florida GOP Paves the Way to Help Ron DeSantis Challenge Trump. And as Lake Powell dries up, archaeologists are getting a chance to study newly emerged Indigenous dwellings. Yet another set of human remains was pulled from the shallows of Lake Mead this week, marking the sixth time this year the receding water levels uncovered bodies from the past. Paying more despite good credit? County officials said the man died from a gunshot wound, with the manner of his death . There has been no further information on what caused the other deaths so far. Spilotro and his guys would come back, you wouldn't!" 2. The National Park Service, which manages the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, said in a news release that around 3 p.m. rangers found a barrel containing human remains in Hemenway Harbor, a section of lake where a local family claims to operate the largest private marina in the United States.
