Body dumped in 80s found

Los Angeles – A worsening drought has revealed a four-decade-old body dumped in a US lake, police said on Monday, warning that falling water levels would lead to the uncovering of more corpses.

Boaters on Lake Mead near Las Vegas discovered a corroded barrel with its sinister contents during a weekend pleasure trip. Detectives probing the mystery say the contents of the container point to its having been in the huge reservoir since the ’80s.

“It’s going to be a very difficult case” to solve, Las Vegas Metro police officer Ray Spencer told the local 8newsnow.com. “There is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains.”

Nearby Las Vegas has historically been a hive of mob-related villainy, with Mafiosi commonly believed to dispose of the bodies of their enemies in deep water.

A historic drought that is gripping much of the western United States is putting a strain on water sources, with reservoirs and lakes dropping to unprecedently low levels.

Lake Mead, which is fed by the Colorado River after it has passed through the Grand Canyon, is the largest manmade reservoir in the United States. Its current level, at just 321m, is its lowest since 1937.