Las Vegas police, coroner identify body found in barrel at Lake Mead

Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Lieutenant Robert Price announced Tuesday that the individual recovered from a barrel at Hemenway Harbor on May 1, 2022, has been identified, although his name has not been released to the public. The victim suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and authorities have classified the death as a homicide. A press briefing is scheduled for Thursday and will feature Rouse, Price, Dr. Jason Beaman of Oklahoma State University’s School of Forensic Sciences, and Clark County Chairman Michael Naft. The case attracted nationwide attention after Lake Mead’s water levels fell to historic lows. Earlier in the week the county distributed facial‑approximation sketches produced by the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, to generate leads. “Our hope is to put the composite out there and see if we can get any good matches... as good as a DNA profile is, it's only as good as what you have to compare it to,” Rouse told FOX5 at the time. “Obviously the next steps would be to get it out to the community in hopes that we have some good links to individuals that could be considered for testing.” This incident is one of four sets of human remains uncovered at Lake Mead during 2022. The other three cases have already been resolved through DNA analysis: Claude Russell Pensinger, 52, of Las Vegas, who disappeared July 14, 1998; Donald P. Smith, 39, of North Las Vegas, who reportedly drowned in April 1974; and Thomas Erndt, 42, of Las Vegas, who reportedly drowned on August 2, 2002. Officials explained that the identification process involves determining sex, approximate age, height and weight, collecting DNA samples, and comparing the data to missing‑person reports. Sources: FOX5 Vegas Read the full story at 8 News Now →