Lake Mead Body is My Dad’s, Says Las Vegas Native
Posted on: August 4, 2022, 10:06h.
Last updated on: August 8, 2022, 12:37h.
In May 1958, Daniel Kolod, 22, was riding in a speedboat on Lake Mead with a friend when they hit a wake. Both men were tossed into the water. One never made it out.
Police declared Kolod drowned in Callville Bay. His body was never recovered. But Todd Kolod, 67, is now thoroughly convinced that the second body found this spring on the freshly exposed bottom of Lake Mead belongs to his father. It was found on May 7, 2002, in Calville Bay.
Police and park officials already declared the manner of death not suspicious. This week, the Clark County coroner’s office revealed the deceased person’s age at the time of death: between 23 and 38.
With each clue, I always expect in my mind that it’s going to put us farther away from our goal. But consistently, each clue is putting us closer, and this is like a bullseye,” said Todd, who lives in Spain, speaking to KLAS-TV’s I-Team investigators this week.
Another clue involved is the skeleton’s missing front teeth. Daniel Kolod lost his in a car accident a year before drowning and wore a partial denture, Todd told KLAS.
Missing Body
Witnesses said they saw Daniel Kolod drown in Callville Bay, according to the KLAS story. The boat the two men were riding in was found circling on its own about a mile from the drowning site. But a search for the body yielded no results.
My grandfather, he did everything he could to find the body,” said Todd, who was 3 when his father drowned. “I just assumed finding the body was an impossibility.”
According to Todd, the coroner’s office has yet to contact his family to obtain a DNA sample.
“I’m starting to lose hope a little bit,” he told KLAS. “Maybe this new finding lights something up.”
Remains Not Remaining
On May 1, 2022, remains in Lake Mead became international news after boaters discovered the first of a continuing series of bodies inside a corroded metal barrel under Hemenway Harbor. Along with the coroner’s office, homicide police are investigating the case of a man they believe was murdered by a gunshot to the head sometime from the mid-’70s to early ’80s.
On July 25, 2022, the third set of remains was found partially submerged in mud at Swim Beach, a small recreation area along the Boulder Basin. That person’s death is not considered suspicious.
Lake Mead is now at 30% of full capacity. This is its lowest level since it was first filled by the completion of the Hoover Dam in 1935. Two decades of slowed snow runoff into the Colorado River has been cited as a major contributory factor.
Lake Mead is the largest US reservoir. It provides water to nearly 20 million people in California, Nevada, Arizona, and some of Mexico. The lake was last considered full in 2000 when its water level was 1,214. It has fallen 174 feet since then, leaving an eerie white bathtub ring of calcium and other minerals formerly dissolved in the water along its walls.
“As water levels recede and fluctuate, it is possible that artifacts that we do and don’t know about may emerge; including human remains from previous missing person reports,” the park service wrote in a statement.
Related News Articles
Lake Mead Break: Could Barrel Body Be Her Brother?
2nd Lake Mead Body IDed as Victim of 1974 Drowning
Most Popular
Sphere Threat Prompts Dolan to End Oak View Agreement
MGM Springfield Casino Evacuated Following Weekend Blaze
This Pizza & Wings Costs $653 at Allegiant VIP Box in Vegas!
Atlantic City Casinos Experience Haunting October as Gaming Win Falls 8.5%
Most Commented
-
VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: Casinos Pump in Extra Oxygen
November 15, 2024 — 4 Comments— -
Chukchansi Gold Casino Hit with Protests Against Disenrollment
October 21, 2024 — 3 Comments— -
VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The Final Resting Place of Whiskey Pete
October 25, 2024 — 3 Comments—
Last Comment ( 1 )
Frank Calabrese Sr is responsible I think. For the bodies in that barrel.