All rights reserved. "Those aren't big names per se. Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer told the Las Vegas . PHOENIX Police in Las Vegas uncovered a potential crime with the help of climate change. Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner. Eric Blackmon, 40, died from multiple stab wounds during a fight in a shopping center parking lot. A witness reported. This body may never be identified, Hsu said. Investigators said the person inside the barrel appeared to have. Police estimate the body had been in the lake since the early 1980s or possibly even earlier. I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains, Las Vegas police Lt. Ray Spencer told KLAS last week. That being said, no one seems to know. It may be even more difficult to figure out who is responsible for the victims death but there is a better chance now than back when it happened. Homicide investigators believe the body was placed in the barrel in . Las Vegas police are still investigating the body found in the barrel at Lake Mead earlier this year . The man has been identified as Thomas Erndt of Las Vegas, Dan Kulin of the Clark County Office of Communications & Strategy told PEOPLE in a statement. We've received your submission. Police believe the remains were that of a man who died from a gunshot wound,. Like us on Facebook. Speculation continues; people continue to ask me, for example, all the time about it. Rangers with the National Park Service got a call Saturday afternoon when a visitor reported finding human skeletal remains at Callville Bay in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Hopefully there will be something thats a hit, Hsu said. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Police believe a body found in a barre l by boaters on Lake Mead belongs to a man who was shot in the late 1970s or early 80s, authorities said this week. On 1 May, a body was found in a barrel stuck in the mud of the lake's receding shoreline. District Judge Michelle Leavitt set another hearing for March 9 to appoint him a standby attorney through the Clark County public defenders office. The lakes water level as of Monday was 1,052 above sea level, online data shows. The body found in a barrel at the bottom of Nevada's drought-stricken Lake Mead is that of a man who was shot to death, police confirmed Tuesday.. Other names mentioned as the possible victim have been William Crespo, a drug mule whod allegedly turned government witness before vanishing in 1983, and Jay Vandermark, a slot machine manager who possibly knew too much about money skimming operations. So, we're not talking about people that are really famous. Investigators believe the barrel was fully intact when it was dropped into the lake, which would have been several dozen feet deep at that location decades earlier, investigators told the station. That person was believed to have been killed between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s based on clothing and footwear the victim was found with, Las Vegas police said in a statement at the time. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The remains were found by a park visitor in the water. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Example video title will go here for this video. A spokesperson with the agency confirmed their . We are praying that it is Bob, she said. In a statement to the. Las Vegas . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Mystery behind bodies found in Lake Mead renews interest in Vegas mob lore From the The Kentucky Derby, the escaped Alabama inmate and former prison officer, and more top stories from the. The Associated Press contributed to this report. By. "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. Both men vanished in 1976. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images). They probably have a better chance of being discovered, in terms of who they are, now, than if they had actually been found in the 70s, Hsu said. Source of River Thames dries out 'for first time' as drought continues in England, (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. Officials have identified a set of human remains that surfaced earlier this year in Lake Mead, as the reservoir deals with a historic drought. There are stories about serial killers who bury people in barrels. And who knows the breadth of scenarios in which people have died there., Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. A lot depends on where in the lake a body is deposited, and what lake. World War II-Era Boat Exposed at Lake Mead as Water Levels Decline The Higgins landing craft that was previously submerged is now more than halfway out of the water. This story has been shared 106,409 times. But it. The barrel found at Lake Mead on May 1 portends a great calamity on the horizon for the climate, but also tells a story about Las Vegas. While the water levels rose slightly in recent weeks due to heavy rainfall in the area, the reservoir remains only 27 percent at its full capacity. Someone who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. All Rights Reserved. The FBI confirmed Wednesday that the agency is involved in investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a barrel at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Boaters found a body inside of a barrel after extremely low water levels exposed the . The Clark County coroner, police near Las Vegas and federal agents are working to identify this latest corpse and two others found a few months ago in the receding waters. You hear stories, but you dont expect to see that on a day at the lake, witness Daniel Ruiz said. There has been no further information on what caused the other deaths so far. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States, a huge man-made body of water formed by the construction of the Hoover Dam in the early 1930s. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, discovered a decomposing body in a barrel, Man drops human jawbone off at California police station and then leaves, Missing rappers, friend found dead days after canceled performance in Detroit: report, Missing 15-year-old girl found dead near Michigan high school, Man stole funeral home van with corpse in back, dumped body on Chicago street, the National Park Service said in a statement, could have been killed in the mid-1970s or 80s. ", Erndt was reported to have drowned Aug. 2, 2002, Kulin said, and an obituary from the Cincinnati Enquirer, published on August 13, 2002, says that he died from a "drowning accident in Lake Mead.". Police. He said while it would have been easier for Tony Spilotro to simply dump victims in the desert, perhaps he chose Lake Mead to deflect attention from the Outfit's then-burgeoning casino skimming business. CHICAGO (WLS) -- One of the most famous lines from "The Godfather" may be playing out in real life as Lake Mead dries up and a third body turns up. A set of skeletal remains that were found in Lake Mead in May have been identified as a 42-year-old man who reportedly drowned two decades ago. Since the lake was created in the 1930s, around 300 people have drowned in the reservoir. The problem with the science side of it is its old science. Water levels at Lake Mead in April reached below an intake valve that first began supplying Nevada customers in 1971. Man visiting Las Vegas for sons bachelor party hits slot jackpot at Strip casino, Las Vegas set to hold worlds largest rockabilly event, Las Vegas gentlemens club to be subject of new reality TV show, 4 vehicles hit debris from crash, causing one to overturn in south Las Vegas, Bellagio Fountain Club to be offered for F1s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas Starbucks second to unionize in Nevada, Chasing Horse pleads not guilty in Nevada sex abuse case, Las Vegas approves contract to build Downtown Civic Center buildings, plaza, Authorities reopen I-15 southbound at Primm after weather closure, Opening of Red Rock Scenic Drive delayed Wednesday morning due to snow. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Body found in barrel at Lake Mead. That should tell you how little DNA that was, and we were able to make a positive ID.. There were no immediate signs of foul play, sources close to the matter told the station. Lead on ID of body found in Lake Mead barrel Updated: Aug. 8, 2022 at 6:19 PM PDT Geo resource failed to load. One set of human remains were discovered in a barrelpolice believe the remains belong to the victim of a mob-related shooting. Hsu said identifying the remains will rely on the condition of the body. That victim was also pending identification and cause of death information from the Clark County medical examiner. The investigation is ongoing, and no further information will be immediately provided, the NPS said. Does anyone know if there is any updates on this? A barrel containing human remains was discovered in Nevada's Lake Mead over the weekend as a historic drought grips the West. Homicide investigators believe the victim was shot to death . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Doubt that, most are dead or already in jail. The barrel, which was stuck in mud at the lakes receding shorelines, was exposed due to low water levels amid an ongoing drought. On Sunday, a woman walking on the newly-revealed mud spotted a rusted-out metal barrel, and inside the barrel, she told Las Vegas TV stations that she could see bones and ratty mens clothing. Human remains were last discovered earlier this month at Swim Beach. The Clark County medical examiner will determine the victims cause of death, the National Park Service said in a statement. Another was discovered on the shoreline by paddleboarders a week later. However, police said there are no sign of foul play. Body-in-a-barrel Lake Mead mystery swirls as missing mob man's sister comes forward. No additional information about these remains is available at this time. Legal Statement. There's speculation those remains could be tied to the Chicago mob. "It's possible, of course, that the bodies that are turning up in Lake Mead are mob relatedrelated to the Tony Spilotro years in Las Vegas," Chicago mob expert and author John Binder told the I-Team. Schafer said they work to uncover the bodies to "give back to the families" who lost them. I know he is gone, but a definite knowing would make me feel better.. ", "On May 1, remains were discovered in a barrel at Hemenway Harbor. Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. A body inside a barrel was found over the weekend on the the newly exposed bottom of Nevada's Lake Mead as drought depletes one of the largest U.S. reservoirs. Lake Mead is a massive reservoir . Another set of human skeletal remains was discovered at drought-stricken Lake Mead on Monday the fifth set of remains recovered since May and the third to be found at the lakes Swim Beach area. As of mid-July, only 27% of the lake is filled with water, which is the lowest levels since 1937. I think were extremely suited, Othram Chief Development Officer Kristen Mittelman said. I think weve proven before we can work with such remains and make an identification.. They were not in. New human remains were found at Lake Mead in Nevada over the weekend, days after a decomposed body was found in a metal barrel at the lake's shrinking shoreline. Later, he was found in a barrel bobbing in the bay outside of Miami.. Brian Ross is joined. ABC7 Chicago says farewell to Meteorologist Phil Schwarz, Arrest warrant issued for top NFL Draft prospect Jalen Carter, How officials cracked case of eyedrops that blinded people. Im hoping so, he said regarding solving the case. With the funding of local philanthropist Justin Woo and his new non-profit the Vegas Justice League, Othram has helped Metro solve several cold cases. That's the same year a suspected Lake Mead victim vanished. A body in a rusting metal barrel was found by boaters near Hemenway Harbor boat launch of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, close to Las Vegas, on May 1. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department referred all questions to the National Park Service, which did not immediately return request for comment from The Independent. soap-like consistency known as adipocere. Authorities in Las Vegas have identified bones found in May along part of Lake Mead's newly exposed shoreline as the remains of a 42-year-old Las Vegas man, who is believed to have drowned. Lake Mead, an artificial Colorado River reservoir, has fallen victim to the worst drought in modern history of the West and Southwest. By continuing to browse or by clicking I Accept Cookies you agree to the storing of first-party and third-party cookies on your device and consent to the disclosure of your personal information to our third party service providers or advertising partners to optimize your experience, analyze traffic and personalize content. We believe this is a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound, Lt. Ray Spencer said. Jay Vandermark vanished in Phoenix in 1976. The body in the oil drum had been shot in the back, according to law enforcement sources. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Just outside Las Vegas investigators are trying to identify old human remains found in a drying-up lake. The massive, 85-year-old reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River provides water for some 25 million people, as well as for millions of acres of farmland in California, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico, the Los Angeles Times reported. Fox News Flash top headlines for August 17. 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