I’m second to none in my admiration for FFC’s attention to detail and realism in the Trilogy. But, I have a problem with how he handled Fredo’s murder: What happened to the body?

The story the Corleones must have put out was that Fredo drowned; Connie said so in III. We know he was shot because we (and Michael, in the boathouse) heard two shots. Fredo’s body obviously wasn’t recovered, and we saw, after the shots, that Neri was alone in the little boat.

What did he do with Fredo’s body? He and Neri went out on Lake Tahoe in a rowboat with a little, putt-putt outboard motor. They couldn’t have gone far out on the lake, to very deep water. And, they were close enough to shore that Michael (and presumable others) heard the gunshots. Fredo’s “drowning” would have been reported to The Law, who would have dragged the lake bottom looking for the body. But, evidently, they didn’t find it, because they would have seen the gunshot wounds.

Yes, I know: directoral license—the audible gunshots were for effect. Still, I wonder: Could Neri have dumped or hidden Fredo’s body in some way that The Law couldn’t find it? Your views?

I don't know TB. Like you said, it was a small boat. He couldn't have had a bunch of chain or something similar to weigh him down without Fredo knowing or without possibly sinking the boat. Michael's house couldn't have been the only one on the lake. Someone could've witnessed the murder if he was close by and didn't go out to far. There's the possibility that Neri wasn't the only one involved. A cleanup crew could've been waiting near shore. Neri tells Fedo he has a good spot in a secluded cove, puts two rounds in him, pulls up to land where someone's waiting, load him up and dispose of the corpse.

Keeping in mind that Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States.

Why would the Law bother "dragging the lake bottom looking for [Fredo's] body" when the FBI and the Senate committee never did, Fredo alive! in spite of Fredo listed as Underboss in their Michael Corleone Family chart, to -

1. float like a butterfly -- Michael's welcome party [Moe Greene meeting]
2. sting like a bee -- conspiracy with Roth / Ola
3. sing like a canary -- ouch! Fredo already had

How is Fredo Underboss? The kid's clean. He was banging cocktail waitresses two at a time! He's never been busted for the rackets....

How and Why Fredo carrying gun

For what it's worth, I think the deepest part of the lake is fairly close to shore in the north part of the lake. 1600 feet to the bottom.