Body of missing man found in truck revealed by Lake Powell's low water level

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PAGE, Ariz. (AP) — Low water levels brought on by years of drought have revealed a submerged pickup truck containing human remains at Lake Powell near the Arizona-Utah border.

Investigators say the truck belonged to a 54-year-old man who has been missing since December 2023. The identity of the remains hasn’t yet been determined. The death is under investigation.

People spotted the truck just below the water line over the Labor Day weekend at Lone Rock Beach, located in Utah within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Authorities pulled the truck out of the water Wednesday.

As the lake has suffered from a yearslong drought, its water level has fallen about 20 feet (6 meters) since when the man was reported missing, Lt. Alan Alldredge of the Kane County Sheriff’s Office in Utah said.

“We have had several bad years,” Alldredge said of the lake's water levels.

The truck’s owner was last seen at a store in Kanab, Utah, on Dec. 1, 2023.

Human remains also have been discovered in recent years at another drought-stricken lake on the Colorado River system.

Several sets of human remains were also found in 2022 at Lake Mead, located at the Arizona-Nevada border, over 300 miles (482.8 kilometers) west of Lake Powell.

Human remains of a man who died from a gunshot wound also were found in a rusted barrel at a harbor area at Lake Mead. Authorities haven't been able to identify the remains.