FBI releases rendered images of man found in barrel during Lake Mead drought

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - Investigators have released new images of what a man found inside a barrel in Lake Mead would have looked like, in hopes of discovering his identity.

Clark County and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are asking for the public’s help in identifying a victim of a homicide at Lake Mead who they believe was killed decades ago.

The body was discovered in a barrel at Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead on May 1, 2022, when the reservoir was experiencing an extreme drought. The man died from a gunshot wound, the county reported.

Clark County shared facial approximation images created by the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia based on the remains on Wednesday. Authorities said that they hope that by releasing the images to the public, investigators will be able to identify the victim.

KVVU spoke to the Clark County Coroner after the images were released.

“Our hopes is to put the composite out there and see if we can get any good matches,” Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse said “As good as a DNA profile is, it’s only as good as what you have to compare it to.

“So obviously the next steps would be to get it out to the community in hopes that we have some good links to individuals that could be considered for testing.”

According to the county, this case is not the only one involving remains found at Lake Mead in 2022. During that time, the lake was at a record low and the receding waters had exposed a graveyard of boats and the remains of four people.

To date, Clark County says the coroner’s office has successfully identified decedents in three of the four cases using DNA, leaving the man in the barrel as the only one left unidentified.

The news release states that “the process for identifying remains includes examinations to determine the gender and approximate age, height and weight of each decedent; the collection of DNA samples; and comparing findings to information about people who have been reported missing over the years.”

Anyone who may have information that may help identify the victim is asked to email coroner@clarkcountynv.gov. The case number is: 2022-02725.