Grisly remains of Mafia victims have been unearthed after lake dries out

Grisly remains of an alleged mafia victim have been unearthed in Nevada’s Lake Mead.

This happens to be the third set of remains which have been discovered in the lake since May.

"National Park Service rangers responded to a report of the discovery of human skeletal remains in the Swim Beach area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area at approximately 8:00 p.m. PST on Monday, Aug. 15," the National Park Service said.

"Park rangers have set a perimeter to recover the remains with the support from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s dive team.

"The Clark County Medical Examiner has also been contacted. "

Shawna Hollister/KLAS

Well, speculation over whose remains are in the lake suggest that the victim could have been Mafia-related.

The lake happens to be a 30-minute drive from Vegas, which, of course, was ran by the mob back in the 50s.

Mafia fans who've watched Robert De Niro's Casino will be aware that the mob used to bury bodies in the dessert.

However, this doesn't mean that lakes were exempt.

Staff at Las Vegas’s ‘Mob Museum’ reckon the body belonged to Johnny Pappas, who worked for a front company for gangsters back in the day.

He reportedly kept a boat on Lake Mead and went missing in 1976.

His killer suspect was Joe Pesci’s inspired-character in Casino, who went by the name Tony Spilotro.

Wikimedia Commons/FBI

Well, on 1 May, the National Park Service revealed that a witness had found the barrel of human remains at around 3:00pm PST.

And then on 7 May, they received another witness report of human skeletal remains at Lake Mead’s Callville Bay.

National Park Service said: "A perimeter was set and the National Park Service Investigative Service Branch coordinated with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) Section to recover the remains. CSI and the Las Vegas Metro Homicide Units are leading the ongoing investigation and requests for information.

"The investigation is ongoing and the Clark County Medical Examiner has been contacted to determine the cause of death."

Shawna Hollister/KLAS

Travis Heggie, a former National Park Service official, said: "This is just the tip of the iceberg.

"I’m expecting all sorts of criminal things to show up — and I mean a lot."

Police homicide detective Lieutenant Ray Spencer said at the time: "I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains."

UNILAD has contacted Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for comment.

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