A coroner found that human remains discovered at Lake Mead in May were identified as those of a 42-year-old man who allegedly drowned 20 years ago.
The largest reservoir in the United States has seen its water level drop to historic lows over the summer due to drought conditions.
Several discoveries have been made since May 1st, including skeletal remains.
Clark County Coroner in Las Vegas identified the remains, which were found in Callville Bay, as being those of Thomas Erndt, spokesman Dan Kulin said.
Mr. Erndt reportedly drowned on August 2, 2002, he said.
“The identification was based on investigative information, DNA analysis and reports from the original incident,” Kulin said in a statement.
“The cause and manner of Mr. Erndt’s death are undetermined.”
According to a death announcement published in the Las Vegas Review Journal on August 8, 2002, Mr. Erndt “jumped from a boat on August 2, is missing and presumed to have drowned.”
In an obituary published in the Cincinnati Enquirer on August 13, the 42-year-old was described as a devoted father of two and a resident of the College Hill neighborhood in Las Vegas.
In early May, a barrel containing the body of a man who had been shot was found on the lake.
On May 3, police said the murder was thought to have occurred between the mid-1970s and early 1980s because the victim was wearing shoes made during that time.
Investigators are considering whether the death may be related to the Mafia, Lieutenant Ray Spencer, a homicide detective, told the New York Times.
In the month of July, a third body was discovered in a portion of the lake that is about 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, famously founded by the mafia.
The height of the water is at an unprecedented low, according to the data. Image: NASA
After the first two bodies were discovered, Oscar Goodman, who represented Mafia figures as a lawyer, said the first customers seemed interested in “climate control” – the crowd speaks to keep the lake level, so the bodies are not found.
Lake Mead, formed by the Hoover Dam in the 1930s, and Lake Powell, upstream, are part of a system that supplies water to more than 40 million people in several states including Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada.
In the month of July, NASA released images which showed the degradation of the lake, which is at its lowest level since 1937.
