--- title: "Rangers Keep Discovering Human Remains in Drying Up Lake" description: "On Saturday, park rangers came across yet another set of human remains in Lake Mead. This is the fourth discovery of the like since May." date: "2022-08-09" modified: "2022-08-09" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rangers-discovering-human-remains-drying-up-lake" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "lake mead" - "the digest" - "water" --- # Rangers Keep Discovering Human Remains in Drying Up Lake ![On Saturday, park rangers came across yet another set of human remains in Lake Mead. This is the fourth discovery of the like since May.]() *\Image: Ethan Miller/Getty Images\* ## Number Four It happened again. On Saturday, park rangers came across yet another set of human remains in Lake Mead's shrinking waters, [*NPR* reports](). The investigation is still ongoing, and no cause of death has been released. This is the fourth grisly discovery of the like since May, when boaters [discovered a human body]() stashed inside a barrel — likely a homicide victim, according to officials — in an area where water had fully receded. Just a few days after the body was found, a different skeleton was recovered by [paddle boarding sisters](), while a third body was [discovered in July](). And as Nevada's [longtime drought](), aggravated by climate change, has shown no sign of stopping, it's fair to say that even more remains could soon be unearthed. ## Climate Change, PI Lake Mead is massively important to the American Southwest as millions of people across several desert states rely on it as their main source of water. T[he ongoing drought](), however, has decimated the waterbody to record lows. According [to NASA](), Lake Mead has officially reached its lowest water levels since the 1930s, currently retaining just 27 percent of its water capacity. The lake isn't the only major source of water in the area that's quite literally drying up. Utah's Great Salt Lake [has also reached troubling lows](), which could have devastating environmental repercussions. If the plight of these once magnificent lakes says anything, it's that climate change, if left unchecked, [is coming for us all](). And, evidently, that's especially true for anyone who's dumped a dead body into Lake Mead. **READ MORE:** [*A fourth set of human remains is found at Lake Mead as the water level keeps dropping*]() \[*NPR*\] **More on drying lakes:** [*Shocking New Images Show Major Us Lake Drop to Lowest Recorded Water Levels*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()