Apparent human remains found in US reservoir as water levels hit record low

What the report says

Potential human remains have been found at Lake Mead in Nevada, the largest reservoir in the United States, as drought-driven water levels continue to fall across the western US. According to the National Park Service, reports of apparent skeletal remains were received at Boulder Beach on 16 August, prompting rangers and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to respond. The agency said the case remains under investigation and did not provide further details.

A witness told BBC partner CBS affiliate KLAS that she and a friend spotted a jaw with teeth still attached while visiting the lake’s Nevada side. Her friend said the unusually low water appeared to be exposing items that had previously been underwater. Lake Mead sits on the border between Nevada and Arizona and supplies water to a large region, making its declining levels an important concern beyond this single discovery.

The BBC reports that Lake Mead’s water level has been falling since 2000 and recently reached 1,040 feet above sea level, below the previous record low set in July 2022. For context, prolonged drought and heat in the western US have contributed to shrinking reservoirs and rivers, and lower water has sometimes revealed long-hidden objects or remains. In this case, officials have not confirmed the identity of the remains or how old they may be.