Nevada police revealed that human remains were found inside a barrel in Lake Mead amid the historic drought that has hit the West.

Las Vegas Metro Police are concerned that more bodies may be found as the water level recedes in the area. According to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, the remains found may have been underwater for as long as four decades.

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The body was found by boaters Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported. Police suspect the victim was killed in the 1980s based on personal items found in the barrel, Las Vegas Metro police homicide Lt. Ray Spencer told the 8 News Now I-Team.

However, Spencer did not give further details about the person’s identity or how the remains ended up in a barrel at the bottom of Lake Mead.

“It’s going to take an extensive amount of work,” Spencer said of trying to identify the person. “I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains.”

“I think anybody can understand there are probably more bodies that have been dumped in Lake Mead, it’s just a matter of, are we able to recover those?” Spencer said.

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An official with the Clark County Coroner’s Office said that an investigation is underway. The remains are likely to be sent to experts for analysis that may help in identifying the victim.

The ongoing severe drought is leading to other discoveries in the water. The lake that provides for 25 million people and millions of acres of farmland in California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico has been moving toward a crisis amid record temperatures and lower snowpack melt.

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“The Colorado River Basin is experiencing the worst drought in recorded history,” the water agency said in a statement posted on its website. “Since 2000, snowfall and runoff into the basin have been well below normal. These conditions have resulted in significant water level declines at major system reservoirs, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell.”