By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) – A barrel containing human remains has been found near Las Vegas on the shoreline receding of Lake Mead. Police said that more bodies could be discovered in the reservoir, as the drought continues to cause record-breaking low water levels.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, boaters spotted the barrel that looked like an industrial storage drum.

Based on the personal belongings found in the barrel and the remains of the victim, Lieutenant Ray Spencer (police homicide detective) said that the suspect was probably killed during the 1980s.

Spencer stated in an interview with KLAS that “I believe there’s a good chance, as the water level falls,” that additional human remains could be found at the reservoir’s bottom.

Spencer stated to KLAS that the police will seek the assistance of experts from the University of Nevada Las Vegas “because scientists are going to be needed to weigh in on the matter and give us an estimate of how long the person was in the barrel.”

He stated, “It’s going be a lot of work,”

According to a press release, the remains were found on Lake Mead National Recreation Area grounds. The National Park Service administers the area. Clark County Medical Examiner was called to investigate the cause of death.

Partially buried within a section of the lakebed that had been reclaimed by receding water, the barrel was discovered. The reservoir is one of the biggest in America, and it was built in 1930s. It lies at Nevada’s border with Arizona.