An American expat believes a body found in drought-stricken Lake Mead reservoir could be his father, who drowned in 1958 at the age of 22 and whose remains have never been found.
Todd Kolod believes the body – one of two found in Lake Mead last month – could be that of his father, Daniel Kolod.
64 years ago, while on a fishing trip with a friend, Daniel fell from a speedboat that overturned when hit by a wake. His father was a gangster named Ruby Kolod, although there is no indication that Daniel’s death was due to foul play.
His remains were never recovered despite searches by a helicopter and divers.
A friend who was on the boat with Daniel also fell in the water but was rescued and survived.
Todd, who now lives in Ibiza, said his suspicions were heightened by a photo of a skull with missing teeth.
That’s because his late father wore dentures after a car accident that knocked out his front teeth.
Todd said in an interview with KLAS when he heard about remains being found in the Callville Bay section of Lake Mead, his eyes “went wide open”.
Todd said that when his father, Daniel Kolod, loved fishing in Callville Bay. Todd said: “He went out regularly. He ran out of fish to give to the people.”
Todd was three years old then. He says his family told him his father “went away” and that he only learned the bitter truth when he was older.
Todd Kolod, pictured here with his father Daniel, was born in 1956, two years before his father died in Callville Bay
Todd as he appears now. He believes a skull with missing teeth revealed by falling water levels may well be his father’s
This picture with missing teeth really made Todd suspicious. His father lost some of his front teeth after a car accident and was wearing dentures when he died
Daniel Kolod’s father Ruby, pictured, was a mobster who served time in prison – although there is no indication Daniel’s death was the result of foul play
According to the KLAS report, 300 people have drowned in Lake Mead since the 1930s, but that doesn’t include those whose bodies were never recovered, including Daniel Kolod.
The remains, which may belong to Daniel, were recovered by kayakers in May, shortly after a body believed to be a possible victim of a mob killing was discovered in a barrel.
Daniel then wore a partial denture. A dentist who specializes in identifying tooth debris, Dr. Deborah Staten, told a KLAS reporter that the skeletal remains are missing two front teeth.
dr Staten said, “I feel like those were freshly removed.” She added that the deceased was missing more teeth.
The KLAS report goes on to say that the only way to positively identify the remains as belonging to Daniel Kolod would be to obtain a DNA sample from Todd Kolod.
Todd added: “My grandfather did everything to find the body. I just thought it was impossible to find the body. That could be my dad, or my dad could be the next discovery.”
Daniel Kolod’s father was Ruby Kolod aka Reuben Koloditsky, a respected member of the Cleveland crime syndicate in the 1930s.
Around 1950, Ruby moved to Las Vegas to work as the casino manager of the Desert Inn Hotel. For this endeavor, Ruby was paired with another well-known gangster, Moe Dalitz.
Daniel Kolod ran a men’s clothing store at the Casino Desert Inn in Las Vegas
Daniel Kolod with his wife and Todd’s mother Sandy
Daniel was in a boat with a friend when it overturned after hitting a wake
According to Fabulous Las Vegas Magazine, Daniel Kolod was operating a men’s clothing store at the casino at the time of his death. A separate notice in the magazine announced the birth of Todd Kolod in July 1956 to parents Daniel and Sandy Kolod.
After his son’s death, Ruby named the Danny Kolod Youth Center in Las Vegas after his son.
Daniel Kolod had three siblings, sisters Elaine and Annette, and a brother Leonard.
In April 1964, Ruby was sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of attempting to extort money from fellow mobsters. He was released on bail pending his appeal.
Ruby died in August 1967. He had been in poor health since suffering a heart attack in 1963.
Photos of the grisly discovery show a toothed skull nestled in dirt and sand near the lake shore
Lindsey and Lynette Melvin reportedly found the skeletal remains around 2 p.m. Saturday on Callville Bay in Lake Mead National Recreation Area
It’s not known if the remains found Saturday were uncovered because of the receding water, but police warned more bodies could surface
Todd Kolod said in a previous interview that he has been commuting back and forth from the US to Ibiza with his wife Barbe since 2009. The couple married in 2012. Todd is a singer-songwriter.
On May 20, Todd Kolod tweeted, “I was just interviewed by KLAS-TV in Las Vegas about the skeletal remains recently found at Callville Bay, Lake Mead. It will be broadcast next week. It will take some time to complete the identification process. It could be my father who drowned there in 1958.”
The water level of Lake Mead has dropped so much that for the first time since 1971 a water inlet valve that supplies Las Vegas is visible.
The water level in Lake Mead has reached its lowest level since 1971. The reservoir’s water provides drinking water and electricity for 40 million people
Many of the problems Lake Mead faces stem from the region’s ongoing drought, which has caused the Colorado River drainage basin to become extremely low
One of the largest man-made reservoirs in the United States, Lake Mead is part of a system that provides water to more than 40 million people, tribes, farmers and industries in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Australia across the southern border in Mexico.
Water levels in Lake Mead – the US’s largest reservoir, formed by the Hoover Dam River and located about 24 miles from Las Vegas – have reached their lowest level since 1971.
As a result of the ongoing mega drought in the US Southwest and the increasing demand for water, levels have fallen in recent years.
The waterline in the reservoir is now at 1,055 feet above sea level, well below the maximum capacity of 1,229 feet and worryingly close to the 1,050-foot limit to pump water to 40 million people.
The record-low water levels are the result of the worst drought in centuries, with human-caused climate change making the situation 72 percent worse, studies have shown.
As weather patterns are expected to worsen, experts say the reservoir may never fill up again.