Apparent human remains found in US reservoir as water levels hit record low
The skeletal remains in Lake Mead include what appears to be a human jaw with teeth attached, a witness says.
Officials have announced the discovery of potential human remains, including a jawbone with teeth, in Lake Mead, the United States' largest reservoir. This finding comes as an ongoing drought continues to lower water levels across western states.
On August 16, the US National Park Service received reports of apparent skeletal remains at Boulder Beach on Lake Mead, Nevada. "National Park Service rangers and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene," the service stated, as reported by the BBC's US partner CBS. The incident "remains under investigation, and no additional information is available at this time," the service added.
A woman and her friend discovered the bones while visiting the Nevada side of the reservoir, which borders Arizona. Dianelis Molina Cruz informed CBS affiliate KLAS, "My friend was playing with the rocks in the lake, and then he grabbed the jaw. And when he looked, he saw the teeth and everything." Her friend, Noel De Leon, suggested that the receding water levels at Lake Mead were a factor in the discovery. "The water looks very low compared to where it should be," he commented. "As the water goes down, the skeletons come up."
Water levels at Lake Mead have been steadily decreasing since 2000. Last week, the US Bureau of Reclamation reported that the reservoir's water level dropped to 1,040 feet (316 meters) above sea level, surpassing the previous record low set in July 2022. The reservoir is situated in Clark County, an area largely experiencing moderate drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Scientists attribute the worsening droughts in recent years to climate change.
Persistent hot summer weather has led to declining water levels in rivers and lakes globally, resulting in unexpected discoveries. Earlier this month in Hungary, the remains of two World War Two German soldiers, along with a largely intact German army Wehrmacht motorcycle, were recovered from the Danube River in Budapest. Other World War Two remnants, including a broken-up hull near Prahovo in Serbia, have also recently emerged from the Danube. In the UK, low water levels at a reservoir in Rutland have revealed the remains of the village of Nether Hambleton, which was demolished and flooded to create the reservoir.