NATIONAL NEWS
Lake Mead remains identified as a Las Vegas man who disappeared 25 years ago
Apr 28, 2023, 10:18 AM
FILE: Lake Mead is seen in the distance behind mostly dead plants in an area of dry, cracked earth that used to be underwater near Boulder Beach on June 12, 2021 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. This week, The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reported that Lake Mead, North America's largest artificial reservoir, dropped to 1,071.53 feet above sea level, the lowest it's been since being filled in 1937 after the construction of the Hoover Dam. The declining water levels are a result of a nearly continuous drought for the past two decades coupled with increased water demands in the Southwestern United States. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(CNN) — Human remains discovered at Boulder Beach on Lake Mead in Nevada during July and August 2022 have been identified as a 52-year-old man who disappeared in 1998, according to the Clark County Coroner’s office.
In a news release, the coroner’s office stated medical examiners identified the remains as Las Vegas resident Claude Russell Pensinger, noting “The identification was based on DNA analysis.”
The coroner’s office stated Pensinger’s skeletal remains were discovered by park visitors on three dates last summer. During the investigation, medical examiners “confirmed the three sets of remains belonged to the same person,” according to the release, which added, “The cause and manner of Mr. Pensinger’s death is undetermined.”
CNN previously reported “drought across the American West has driven Lake Mead’s water levels to record lows and caused its shoreline to recede rapidly.” The receding shoreline has revealed submerged boats and human remains.
Stories behind other found remains
In March, officials identified the remains of another Las Vegas man, Donald Smith, who reportedly drowned in April 1974.
Smith’s remains were uncovered after a diver came across a human bone in Lake Mead National Recreation Area’s Callville Bay on October 17, prompting a search by a park dive team, which uncovered more skeletal remains.
Smith’s remains were at least the sixth discovery of human remains at the reservoir.
The first set, which had a gunshot wound, was found inside an eroded barrel May 1. Investigators said the body was a homicide victim from the mid-1970s to early ’80s.
Dropping water levels have also uncovered relics including sunken boats, a World War II-era landing craft and ancient volcanic rock.
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