Lake Mead’s receding waters revealed long-lost bodies. But who are they?

The remains have caused a public stir, but authorities say the falling water level due to the climate crisis is the real scandal

The first sets of human remains that surfaced at Lake Mead appeared in quick succession, one after another.

The environmental disaster unfolding at the largest reservoir in the US was already hard to ignore – there was the giant “bathtub ring” that served as a reminder of the punishing drought in the west and diminishing recreation opportunities. But the bodies were a grim new sign of the crisis.