A weekend boating trip on Lake Mead took a tragic turn, leaving a family with decades of unanswered questions. On June 19, 2004, Kenneth E. Funk, a 56-year-old slot technical manager from Las Vegas, was enjoying a day on the water with his wife, grandson, and his daughter's former boyfriend. The day took a harrowing turn when a wave struck their boat, sending Funk's wife, who was not wearing a life jacket, overboard.
Without hesitation, Funk grabbed a life jacket and jumped into the water to save her. The wind, however, pushed the boat away from them faster than they could get back, and the engine would not restart.
For forty agonizing minutes, Funk and his wife treaded water together. Eventually, a heartbreaking decision was made. Funk, exhausted, told his wife to let him go before he slipped beneath the surface. Still on the drifting boat, one of the other passengers managed to call the National Park Service for help around 9:00 a.m. A pilot with the National Park Service was able to spot the stranded boat and Funk's wife in the water. While she was rescued, an extensive search for Funk yielded no results, and he was presumed to have drowned. For years, his family was left with the pain of his absence and no closure.
The case remained cold for many years, one of many long-unsolved missing person cases in the Las Vegas area. However, a severe megadrought in the region caused the water levels of Lake Mead to recede dramatically, revealing long-hidden secrets. Beginning in May 2022, multiple sets of human remains were discovered along the newly exposed shoreline. In July of that year, a torso was found near Swim Beach. Based on the physical description, Funk's family came to believe the remains could be his. His daughter noted the build of the torso was similar to her father's. The discovery brought a renewed, albeit painful, hope for answers after eighteen years of uncertainty. The family had previously provided DNA samples to investigators and were awaiting confirmation from the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office. The investigation into the discovered remains, and the broader phenomenon of what the receding waters of Lake Mead will continue to unveil, remains ongoing.Last Seen: Jun 19, 2004
