Fourth Body Found At Lake Mead

A fourth body has been discovered at our local Lake Mead National Recreation Area. And with water continuing to drop in the reservoir, we're probably not going to be done anytime soon. On Saturday morning, a little after 11:00 am, the National Park Service authorities received a phone call about the remains. They were discovered at Swim Beach. If you are familiar with Lake Mead, that is just northwest of the Lake Mead Marina just east of the Boulder Beach Campground and picnic area. This is the fourth body that has been found at the reservoir since May. In response, park rangers arrived and the Clark County Medical Examiner was called in to determine cause of death. (NPS.gov) The third body found was also discovered at Swim Beach on July 25.

The fourth body found at Lake Mead is fairly close to the location where the first body was found. That one, that became famously dubbed the "body in the barrel" was at Hemenway Harbor, which is just east of Lake Mead Marina. That body was discovered on May 1 of this year and has since been speculated to be a victim of the mob. It has definitely been confirmed the death was a homicide by gunshot. But some people think the victim was a casino owner who angered the mob with his poor money management of the property. The second body, found a week later than the first, was at Callville Bay. Which is a bit further up on Highway 167 and at a northern point on the lake.

As of right now, the cause of death for the fourth body, as well as the second and third discovered, remains unknown. Only the homicide victim had a clear cause of death. But with how many times we've seen a news report of someone falling overboard or washing up on shore at the lake, it wouldn't be a surprise if the three unknown causes were accident. Time will tell.

–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas

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I've had so much fun at, and on Lake Mead over the years - as you can see in the pictures. But it's scary what is happening to our lake.

As of last weekend, the depth of Lake Mead is about 1045 feet above sea level, it has lost another 6 feet of water in just one month, and is now at 29% capacity.

The six foot drop in just one month is a lot, but there are a lot of reasons beyond over usage: The Bureau of Reclamation has held back water from Lake Powell to allow power to be generated at the Glen Canyon Dam is one reason, the severe prolonged drought and evaporation are also taking a toll.

If the level continues to fall a water shortage will be declared for 2023. This would mean a reduction in the water allocated to us here in the Vegas valley. Last year we used 242,000 acre feet of water with an allocation of 300,000 acre feet. FYI: An acre foot of water is what two average households use per year.

I know firsthand how low the lake is. How? I had to pay for a prop on a boat rental because I got too close to a rock - that was about 50 feet from the shore!

Have fun on the lake, but be careful out there!

Easy to see how low the lake level has dropped, by the rings.