Investigative · Lake Mead, Nevada
Man whose remains were found in a barrel at Lake Mead in 2022 identified as Arkansas native
Authorities in Las Vegas have named the homicide victim whose remains turned up inside a barrel at Lake Mead in 2022, according to a Gray News report by KVVU that was carried by Cleveland 19, WCAX, 1011 Now and Valley News Live.
Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse identified the man on Thursday as Edward Lelburian Jackson, the outlets reported. Officials said he came from Arkansas and was in his mid-to-late 50s at the time of his death.
According to Las Vegas police, the barrel holding Jackson's remains was found at Hemenway Harbor on May 1, 2022. He had been shot, and his death was classified as a homicide, the report said.
Investigators believe Jackson was killed sometime between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s, an estimate officials said was based on the style of shoes discovered with his body.
The reason Jackson was in Las Vegas remains unknown, the outlets reported. His relatives told investigators that he enjoyed traveling.
The discovery drew attention across the country at the time, as Lake Mead's water level fell to historic lows and exposed areas that had long been underwater.
In an effort to develop leads, Clark County had released facial approximation images produced by the FBI. Rouse had earlier explained the limits of genetic evidence without a match to compare it against. "As good as a DNA profile is, it's only as good as what you have to compare it to," she said, according to the report.
The county said Jackson's case was one of four involving human remains recovered at Lake Mead in 2022, and that the other three had been identified through DNA. The report also noted that additional human remains were found at the lake in August as the water continued to recede.
The report did not say whether investigators have identified any suspects in Jackson's death, and no arrests were mentioned. The Associated Press contributed to the original report.
Compiled by True News from reporting by Cleveland 19, WCAX, 1011 Now and Valley News Live. Each outlet's original story is linked below.
Sources
- Homicide victim found in barrel at Lake Mead identified more than 4 years after discovery (Cleveland 19)
- Homicide victim found in barrel at Lake Mead identified more than 4 years after discovery (WCAX)
- Homicide victim found in barrel at Lake Mead identified more than 4 years after discovery (1011 Now)
- Homicide victim found in barrel at Lake Mead identified more than 4 years after discovery (Valley News Live)
Get stories like this every morning
The True News daily briefing: who's funding your officials, the economy in plain numbers, missing persons and community stories. Free, one email a day, unsubscribe in one click.