Boaters discovered the body around 3 p.m. Sunday. The I-Team first reported the discovery on Sunday afternoon and new details about the discovery Monday.
The victim’s clothes and shoes were sold at Kmart in the mid-to-late 1970s,” Metro police homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said. Police believe the barrel was fully intact when it was dropped into the lake.
The area where the barrel was discovered is near the Hemenway Harbor boat ramp. Crews have had to extend the ramp a half-mile over the past decades to get it closer to the water. In the 1970s and 1980s, what is now beach would have been several dozen feet underwater.
A photo shared with the I-Team showed what looked like skeletal remains in the barrel. The barrel looked to have been stuck in the mud. Police said they moved up their timeline due to the victim’s clothing and personal items found in the barrel. Police were working with researchers at UNLV to better understand when the barrel may have eroded and how long it would have taken for growth on it.
The ongoing severe drought is leading to other discoveries in the lake. Last week, the top of a water intake pipe was visible above the water’s surface as the lake level continues to drop.
The Clark County coroner’s office was working to identify the remains. The person found dead in a barrel along the shore at Lake Mead had been shot and their death may date back earlier than previously assumed.
