Bodies found in drought-hit reservoir linked to US Mafia

A DROUGHT in Las Vegas has led to the discovery of dead bodies in a dried-up reservoir, thought to have been dumped there by Mafia gangs.

Officers in Lake Mead, on the border of Nevada and Arizona, are working to identify “human skeletal remains” found over the weekend, just days after they were alerted to another body that had been stuffed into a barrel and thrown into the water.

Divers are being offered rewards if they recover any other bodies, in the hope that cold crime cases can be solved thanks to the recent hot weather.

The remains have been uncovered as Lake Mead’s water level dropped to 1,055 feet, its lowest since 1937, a year after the Hoover Dam created the reservoir on the Colorado river. At 120 miles long, Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It was full as recently as 2000, but water levels have dropped by 70 per cent since then.

Last week, a man’s body was found in a recently uncovered barrel, where he was apparently put after being shot.

Police said the killing was thought to have happened between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s because the victim was wearing shoes manufactured in

‘We believe there are cold cases out there. Since the water is so low there’s a chance to recover bodies’

that period. “We believe this is a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound,” said police lieutenant Ray Spencer. He told The New York Times that investigators are considering whether the death may have been Mafia-related.

And now park rangers have received reports of further “human skeletal remains”. Lake Mead National Recreation Area said the find was reported at Callville Bay on Saturday. Park rangers are at the scene to recover the remains.

Elsewhere, two retired police officers are offering a $5,000 reward to divers who find any other bodies in the water. David Kohlmeier and Daniel Minor, of The Problem Solver show, say they want to bring closure to the friends and families of victims and help local law enforcement with their investigation.

“We believe there are cold cases that are out there, or missing people in general,” Mr Kohlmeier said. “Since the water is so low right now there’s a chance in history to recover bodies.”