Remains of body found at Lake Mead in May identified

The Clark County coroner’s office on Wednesday identified Thomas Erndt as the man whose remains were found at Lake Mead in May.

Erndt, 42, of Las Vegas, is believed to have drowned on Aug. 2, 2002. His skeletal remains were found in the Callville Bay area on May 7 around 2 p.m.

“The identification was based on investigative information, DNA analysis and reports from the original incident,” Clark County spokesperson Dan Kulin said in a statement.

The official cause and manner of death were not determined as of Wednesday evening.

Erndt’s memorial service was held on Aug. 9, 2002, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Erndt “jumped from a boat on Aug. 2, is missing and presumed drowned,” according to a death announcement published in the Review-Journal on Aug. 8, 2002.

Kulin also confirmed that a body found in a barrel at Hemenway Harbor on May 1 was a man who died from a gunshot wound. His death was ruled a homicide.

Partial human skeletal remains were found in the Boulder Beach area on Aug. 6 near the shoreline. These remains were found in the same area as human partial remains found on July 25, according to Kulin.

“At this time, the investigation into these remains includes working to determine whether the two sets of remains are from the same person or not,” Kulin said.

No updates were provided on the partial skeletal remains found in the water in the Boulder Beach area on Aug. 16.

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.