This is a very unexpected consequence of the historic drought that is currently raging in the United States. Since the beginning of the month, individuals have thus discovered human bones previously immersed in the depths of Lake Mead. The shadow of the mafia hangs over these skeletons.
The story reported in recent days by the American press takes on a particular resonance the day after the death of actor Ray Liotta, hero of the Freedmen. But its setting is reminiscent of the script of another Mafia film by Martin Scorsese: Casino.
Indeed, it is on the side of Las Vegas, Nevada, that the drought – which is currently overwhelming the United States – has brought several skeletons to the surface of Lake Mead in recent weeks. Discoveries which the local police immediately seized, suspecting these bones of being the relics of victims of the old mafia of the city.
Hiding in a barrel
The thing would indeed hardly be surprising in view of the past of Las Vegas, whose rise, from the immediate post-war period, was linked with the mafia who built the first gaming rooms there.
But this succession of discoveries is much more a matter of climate than of news items. Indeed, the ongoing drought has depleted Lake Mead, yet the most important water reservoir in the United States according to CNN, exposing its deepest secrets.
It is first of all a walker strolling on the shores of the lake who comes face to face with a previously submerged barrel, on Sunday May 1, as noted here by the New York Times. Beneath the mud and the metal, he uncovers a skeleton, with a skull shattered by a bullet. Without paper or flesh, the identification of the corpse is impossible for the police: however the victim wears shoes and clothes bought in a cheap sign in Las Vegas, active only during the years 1970-1980.
As to modus operandi- this execution by gunshot followed by a dive into deep water – he brings old memories to the surface. “Since the 1890s, this process of hiding a body in a barrel after putting a bullet in its head has been a signature of the mafia,” Geoff Schumacher, a journalist specializing in Las Vegas criminal history, told BFMTV.
Fillings and bones
A few days after this first find, as the New York daily recounts, the Melvin sisters are paddleboarding on the waves of the same lake when they notice bones. At first they believe they belong to a sheep. « It was only when I saw the fillings on my jaw that I thought, ‘Woh, that’s human’ and started freaking out, » Lynette Melvin recounted for the newspaper.
Finally, last Sunday, a skull was unearthed by chance on one of the banks. It should be noted that it was in a place usually submerged… except that in the area, the water level dropped thirty meters due to the heat and the lack of precipitation.
It is indeed the criminal police who took charge of all these files in order to judge the responsibility or not of the underworld, but they also consider that these last two skeletons are rather those of drowned than victims of the crime. organized.
For the investigators in any case, we should still go from bad surprise to bad surprise. “I would say there is a very good chance that we will find more remains as the water level drops,” said Lieutenant Ray Spencer to KLAS-TV.
Ecological disaster
If the criminal or accidental origin of these deaths remains to be established, the ecological disaster is undeniable. 40 million people are already affected by the drying up of this Lake Mead which supplies drinking water to seven states, as well as part of Mexico, and of which 77% of the resources supply the surrounding agriculture. Moreover, according to the expertise cited here by CNN, the situation could deteriorate further, with a lake potentially reduced to 19% of its maximum capacity in September 2023.
However, the authorities are trying to react. Thus, 200 million federal and local investments have just been released, according to public radio NPR, in order to ensure the sustainability of the reservoir.