Theories of mob involvement in the Hemenway Harbor Doe's death began to swirl as soon as details emerged that the remains were found inside a barrel. Those ideas were fueled even more when police announced the victim was likely killed at a time when organized crime had a strong grasp on Las Vegas.
But those ideas are "mere speculation" at this point in the investigation, Johansson said, denying that there is any solid evidence to support mob theories.
"Yes, Vegas does have a history in the past where we had a connection to violent crime, to organized crime back in the '60s, the 70s," he said. "However, right now, there's nothing in this investigation that is directly tying it organized crime."
At its height in 1983, Lake Mead was 1,225 feet above sea level. But as the climate crisis fuels a prolonged mega-drought in the West, the lake, which serves as the nation's largest reservoir, has plummeted to sobering levels. This year it hit its lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s.
One possible scenario for the second two remains is that they belong to people who previously drowned at the lake when water levels were high, a National Parks Service spokesperson told CNN. Recovery divers are limited on how deep they can go, so some drowning victims' remains do not get recovered, they said.