No ID made on lake remains

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003 | 8:45 a.m.

The Clark County coroner's office has not made an identification of the human remains found over the weekend at the bottom of Lake Mead.

Tests could lead to more information about the victim's identity, a coroner's spokeswoman said.

National Park Service divers recovered the entire skeleton of a person about 70 feet beneath the lake's surface at Hemenway Point, a popular fishing spot, park service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said.

When park service divers first reached the remains Monday morning, it appeared the skull was missing, Dey said.

However, when a third team of divers recovered the bones, they discovered that the skull was buried in lake sediment, she said.

Metro Police missing persons detectives and Metro Sgt. Thomas Wagner had a roundtable discussion on Tuesday to determine whether the remains could be any of the missing persons reported in Southern Nevada.

Wagner, who has headed the missing persons unit for three years, said no missing persons have been found in Lake Mead in that time.

Most of the bodies found in Lake Mead turn out to be from boating accidents or drownings, Dey said.

There have been 22 confirmed drownings over the last four years and one homicide in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Dey said. Last year one homicide and eight drownings were recorded. This year there have been five known drownings, she said.

The coroner's office received the remains Monday after three park service dive teams documented the site in case it turns out to be a crime scene. The gender, nationality and other details of the remains were not known.