Lake Mead Barrel Body Identity Set for Announcement Amid Mob Speculation
Authorities to reveal identity of victim found in barrel at Lake Mead after years of speculation linking the homicide to organized crime figures.
The identity of a body discovered in a barrel at Lake Mead will be announced today, following years of speculation that the homicide may be linked to a famous Las Vegas mobster.
Decomposed human remains were found stuffed inside a corroded metal barrel and buried in the mud at Hemenway Harbor in May 2022. The discovery was made as water levels at Lake Mead receded during an historic drought, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse stated that the victim was a man who died from a gunshot wound to the head before being placed in the barrel. His estimated age at the time of death was between 40 and 50 years old.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Clark County Coroner's office were scheduled to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. PDT to reveal the individual's identity.
Authorities have previously noted that the method of homicide is famously associated with organized crime groups. "The minute you hear 'body in the barrel,' your mind instantly goes to, 'Wow, I wonder if this is connected to any type of organized crime or mob?'" Lieutenant Jason Johansson of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department told ABC News. "The fact of the matter is, we're not gonna know until the day that the remains are identified."
Investigators found items in the barrel, including a watch, Kmart brand clothing, and sneakers, which helped narrow the estimated time of the murder to between 1975 and 1985. This evidence fueled theories that the victim might be a prominent mob figure.
Speculation has centered on several missing mob figures, including Jonny Pappas, George 'Jay' Vandermark, and William Crespo. Pappas, also known as Yiannis Panagiotakos, managed Las Vegas casinos and was reportedly associated with organized crime at Echo Bay Marina on Lake Mead in the mid-1970s. Vandermark was a slot machine worker at the Stardust who vanished in 1976 while reportedly being pursued by the Chicago Outfit. Crespo was a cocaine smuggler who later became a state witness.
Investigators also considered a connection to Tony Spilotro, a notorious hitman for the Chicago Mafia in Las Vegas. The circumstances of the discovery have drawn comparisons to the 1976 case of mobster Johnny Roselli, whose body was found in a barrel in Florida after he testified to the Senate about alleged CIA plots to kill Fidel Castro.