July 24, 2002
For Immediate Release
Karla Norris, 702-293-8947
Karla_Norris@NPS.gov

One Man Missing and Presumed Drowned at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

A 39-year old Las Vegas man is missing and presumed drowned in Lake Mead. On the morning of July 23, 2002, a group of friends took their boat from its mooring at Las Vegas Bay and were headed toward Sandy Cove. The man asked his friends to stop the boat so that he could go swimming. When the rest of the group noticed that he might be having difficulty swimming, one of them jumped into the water to assist him, but was not able to save him before the man disappeared from view. Neither of the men were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident.

National Park Service rangers were dispatched to the scene at 10:42 a.m. and initiated an immediate search. The area where the man was swimming is over 150 feet deep. Side scan sonar was employed to locate the missing man. The search continued until late in the evening yesterday and was resumed early this morning.

Side scan sonar is also being employed to search for the two missing men from the incident that occurred Sunday afternoon. If none of the men are located today, the side scan sonar search will be discontinued until early August and regular search methods, including boat and shoreline searches will resume on a twice daily basis. The use of the side scan sonar is due to the underwater topography of the area.

The National Park Service is investigating the accident.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a unit of the National Park Service.