A sign showing where Lake Mead water levels were in 2002 is posted near the Lake Mead Marina. "It does lead to a lot of speculation," said John L. Smith. IE 11 is not supported. Discovery Company. "A couple of key figures in Las Vegas organized crime history disappeared, one of them being Jay Vandermark, the former slot manager at the Stardust, and the other being a fellow that I was actually was acquainted with His name was Johnny Pappas. Even if no more barrels with bodies in them turn up, he said, theres going to be a lot of guns, and a lot of knives.. As part of the sprawling, drought-stricken Colorado River basin, it has dropped by hundreds of feet in recent years, approaching catastrophically low levels that would inhibit the rivers flow. RELATED | Could the bodies found in Lake Mead be connected to the Chicago mob? Dropping water levels in Lake Mead, above the Hoover Dam, revealed human remains that have probably been hidden for decades. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Five skeletons have now been found in the receding waters of Lake Mead near Las Vegas, once considered a satellite city of the Chicago Outfit. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. Steve Schafer, a local resident and the owner of environmental services company Earth Resource Group, which is working to uncover the bodies, believes there will be many more bodies, according to an article in Newsweek. The second set of remains was found on May 7 at Callville Bay and the third on July 25 at Swim Beach, according to the National Park Service. It continues to diminish and is about 27% full. But in Las Vegas, a town where the seedy underbelly is part of the draw, macabre fascination and amateur sleuthing have quickly followed. SEE MORE: Patrick Spilotro, brother of Chicago Outfit mobsters Tony and Michael Spilotro, dies. Nine days later, on a Monday night, more skeletal remains were found at the same beach, the park service said. The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner said Tuesday there were no further updates on that case. Lake Mead: Shrinking reservoir reveals more human remains Find out here: https://lawandcrime.com/where-to-watch/Subscribe direct to Law \u0026 Crime and stream all broadcast content here: https://lawandcrime.com/stream/#LasVegas #LakeMead #BrianRossInvestigates One body has been identified as Thomas Erndt, who drowned 20 years ago in the reservoir, according to ABC News. The first body was found in a barrel in the spring. So there was always this connection with Lake Mead as a recreation area, and then eventually Lake Mead as the water supply. So far, police investigators have said they do not expect foul play in connection with the body found by the paddle boarders. According to Steve Schafer, a local resident and the owner of environmental services company Earth Resource Group, which is working to uncover the bodies, there will be many more. Or maybe someone just fell off a boat after one too many. The barrel was discovered in the mud along a shoreline that appeared to have been previously submerged, NBC affiliate KSNV of Las Vegas reported. Is third corpse found in receding Lake Mead a missing Chicago mobster? "The lake's dropping more, we're going to find more bodies or the lake is filling up again. The imperiled lake was created by the Hoover Dam at the border between Arizona and Nevada. Lake Mead's water levels are dropping due to the ongoing megadrought in the western United States. A formerly sunken boat sits upright into the air with its stern stuck in the mud along the shoreline of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, on June 10, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev. Another body has been uncovered in the shrinking reservoir, according to officials. As its water levels continue to drop, officials believe that Lake Mead has hundreds more bodies waiting to be found. Lake Mead body found: Climate change reveals dark secrets | CTV News In decades past, local authorities sought to downplay the influence of organized crime syndicates in Las Vegas. On May 7, human skeletal remains were found near the lake's Callville Bay, according to NPS. Either way, Travis Heggie, a former public risk management specialist for the U.S. National Park Service, said that Lake Mead stood out among national recreation areas and parks for its potential connection to criminal activity along with places like Big Bend National Park on the border with Mexico. A rusted metal barrel, near the location of where a different barrel was found containing a human body, sits exposed on shore at the Lake Mead Marina in Boulder City, Nev. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images) The skeletal remains found in a barrel at Lake Mead earlier this month have captivated . On July 25 and Aug. 6, human remains were also discovered at Swim Beach. Its the lowest level on record for the reservoir since it was filled in the 1930s. Lake Mead bodies: New details emerge about 3 sets of human remains Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much He was a friend of my family," Smith told the I-Team. There has been no further information on what caused the other deaths so far. In one notorious cold case, the influential president of the Riviera hotel, Gus Greenbaum, and his wife, Bess, were killed at their Phoenix home after suspicions surfaced that he had been stealing from fellow investors. Drought reveals human remains in barrel at Lake Mead - Los Angeles Times Patrick T. Fallon / AFP - Getty Images file, Receding waters reveal body stuffed in barrel on shore of Nevada's Lake Mead, Fourth set of human remains found at Lake Mead since May, Historically low water levels in Lake Mead. Lake Mead dead bodies and remains: Is Chicago Outfit tied to 5th body "There, I think it might have been a bit more likely that if you ran afoul of the Chicago Outfit, they'd take you for a ride out to the desert. Not all of those bodies have turned up yet. "If you ask the FBI back in the 70s, and 80s, they attributed all kinds of murders to Tony Spilotro. Michael Green, a historian, studies the Mafias role in forging Las Vegas. It wasn't clear how many of the remains may belong to people who have drowned at the recreation area. The discoveries of two sets of human remains in Nevada's Lake Mead are just the latest instances of climate change's impact as the bodies were exposed amid low water levels. On Saturday the National Park Service (NPS) announced its rangers had. Thanks to Raycon for sponsoring today's Kill Count!