Officials ID man found dead near Colorado River
Authorities have identified a 26-year-old North Las Vegas man whose body was found during a weekend heat wave in a desert area near Nelson’s Landing on the Colorado River.
The Clark County coroner’s officials identified the man Tuesday as Manuel S. Vargas.
Officials said it could take several weeks before blood toxicology results are known and Vargas’ cause of death is determined.
National Park Service officials said witnesses reported a man walking about 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the desert near Placer Cove Road.
Park rangers, firefighters and Las Vegas police search crews later found Vargas’ body about 30 feet down a ridge near Nelson Road.
It wasn’t immediately known if Vargas was affected by extreme heat that reached a record 120 degrees in parts of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
