The remains of an unidentified person were found in Lake Powell in Utah near a houseboat on Aug. 14, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said
Credit: Rebecca Noble/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Human remains were found in Lake Powell near a houseboat on Aug. 14 and are being examined for identification and autopsy
- Lake Powell’s water levels are less than 30% full and could soon impact hydroelectric power output for six states
- Similar discoveries were made at Lake Mead, where a visitor found human remains while playing with rocks on Aug. 16. Lake Mead is just downstream from Lake Powell
Human remains were discovered in one of the U.S.’s largest reservoirs, as its water levels rapidly decline.
The remains of an unidentified person were found in Lake Powell in Utah near a houseboat on Aug. 14, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said in a statement shared on social media. National Park Service rangers assisted deputies with the KCSO in collecting the remains, which were then transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office for identification and an autopsy.
“The case is still under investigation in hopes of finding the identification of the person to provide closure to the family,” KCSO said. “Kane County would like to thank the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, National Park Service, and the Utah State Medical Examiner for their assistance with the case.”
Lake Powell, located along the Colorado River and spanning through Utah and Arizona, is facing shrinking water levels due to both climate change and population growth, CBS News reported. The reservoir is currently less than 30% full, and should water levels plummet below 33 feet, it would no longer have the ability to generate hydroelectric power at the Glen Canyon Dam, affecting the power supply for six states.
Credit: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty
Lake Mead, located just downstream from Lake Powell, is facing similar issues, with other human remains discovered there on Aug. 16, PEOPLE previously reported. The unidentified remains were reported to authorities at about 4 p.m. local time, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMP) said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Dianelis Molina Cruz said her friend was at Boulder Beach, part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, playing with rocks when he “grabbed the jaw,” she told KLAS.
“And when he looked, he saw the teeth and everything,” Cruz continued.
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The pair alerted police right away, and upon responding to the scene, officials confirmed the remains were human, the Clark County Office of the Coroner said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
In 2022, an estimated six sets of human remains were found at Lake Mead.
PEOPLE has reached out to KCSO.
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