Another body found at Lake Mead as vital reservoir continues to shrink, rangers say

Rangers discovered human skeletal remains on a beach at Lake Mead as the reservoir continues to shrink, the National Park Service reported.

An emergency call reported the remains to rangers at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, on Swim Beach, a park service release said. Rangers did not say who initially found the remains.

Park rangers and a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department dive team recovered the remains, which were taken to the Clark County Medical Examiner for examination.

No further information will be released as an investigation continues, the release said.

Visitors found a body in a barrel at the lake May 1, followed by the discovery of a second set of human remains at Callville Bay on May 7, McClatchy News reported.

Human remains also were found on Swim Beach on July 25, McClatchy News reported.

The reservoir behind Hoover Dam on the Colorado River has dropped to 27 percent of its capacity, the lowest level since it was filled in 1937, EarthSky reported.

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., according to the National Park Service. More than 25 million people rely on it for drinking water, and it encompasses more than 750 miles of shoreline. In 2021, more than 7.6 million people visited the recreation area.

It is on the Nevada-Arizona border.

This story was originally published August 7, 2022 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Another body found at Lake Mead as vital reservoir continues to shrink, rangers say."