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Body in barrel in Lake Mead was man who had been shot, officials say

Lake Mead Water Level
Posted at 11:50 AM, May 03, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-03 15:15:07-04

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police believe a body found inside a barrel in the newly exposed bottom of Lake Mead was that of a man who had been shot.

Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer also said Tuesday that shoes worn by the man were manufactured in the middle and late 1970s, indicating that the killing likely occurred between the middle 1970s and early 1980s.

Police previously said the remains spotted Sunday by boaters probably dated from the 1980s.

Drought has dropped the water level of Lake Mead on the Colorado River in southern Nevada and northern Arizona so much that the uppermost water intake at drought-stricken Lake Mead became visible last week.