Clark County and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police announced Tuesday that the man whose remains were discovered in a barrel at Hemenway Harbor on May 1, 2022, has been identified. The victim’s name has not yet been released publicly. Officials from the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner and LVMPD’s Homicide Section confirmed the identification ahead of a news conference scheduled for Thursday.
The decedent was a man who died from a gunshot wound, and his death was ruled a homicide. The case gained national attention as Lake Mead’s water levels dropped to record lows, revealing the remains. This was one of four sets of remains found at Lake Mead in 2022; the other three have since been identified through DNA analysis as Claude Russell Pensinger, Donald P. Smith, and Thomas Erndt.
Authorities used facial approximation images created by the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, to generate leads, with Coroner Melanie Rouse stating the goal was to get the composite out to the community in hopes of finding matches for DNA testing. The identification process includes examinations for gender, age, height, and weight, DNA collection, and comparison to missing persons reports.
Sources: FOX5 Vegas
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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