Body of man found floating in Lake Mead

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 | 9:33 a.m.

The National Park Service is investigating the death of an unidentified man whose body was discovered floating near the shore on the east side of lower Gypsum Wash at Lake Mead.

Rangers estimated that the body had been in the lake less than two weeks. There were no identifying marks, tattoos or jewelry, National Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said. The man was floating near the shoreline wearing a shirt, pants and tennis shoes.

Metro Police are not involved with the investigation at this time because Park Service officials do not suspect foul play, Dey said.

The cause of death is unknown. A coroner's investigation will attempt to determine the identity and the cause of death. Rangers could not determine the race of the individual, Dey said.

Visitors found the body at about noon on Sunday, Dey said.

A 46-year-old Carson City man who slid off a house boat last month wearing a bathing suit is unaccounted for at the lake, she said.

However, the body found Sunday was clothed, Dey said. No one has reported a missing person at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Gypsum Wash is located between Las Vegas Bay and Government Wash on the Nevada side of Lake Mead.

Sunday's discovery is the ninth death in 2004 at the recreation area, which hosts 8 million to 10 million visitors a year, Dey said.

The most recent recovery was made on Friday when the body of 36-year-old Terri Ann Selden was recovered. Selden and her 15-year-old daughter with their cocker spaniel, Paige, were on an air mattress that flipped over in high winds. The daughter, Chelsea Christensen, and the 6-month-old puppy survived.

In 2003 there were 23 deaths in the park, Dey said. Causes included natural, boating and swimming accidents, and a homicide.