UPDATE: This article has been edited to correct the cause of death for Smith, which was accidental.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — County officials have identified skeletal remains found at Lake Mead as a person who died there nearly 49 years ago.
According to officials from Clark County, the skeletal remains found in the area of Callville Bay on Oct. 17, 2022 belong to Donald Smith, of North Las Vegas. Officials said Smith drowned in April 1974. He was 39 years old at the time.
The identification comes after DNA analysis, and officials have ruled Smith’s death accidental.
The discovery of Smith’s remains was the fourth such discovery at Lake Mead when they were discovered in October. The first set was found on May 1 when a body was found in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor. The 8 News Now Investigators first reported the discovery.
Additional human remains were found at Callville Bay less than a week later. The third set of remains was found on July 25, when a person at Swim Beach near Boulder Beach reported human remains to the National Park Service.
