Remains Found in Lake Mead Identified as 1980s Murder Victim Edward Lelburian Jackson
Clark County officials used DNA genealogy to identify a set of bones recovered from a drum in Lake Mead as those of Edward Lelburian Jackson, a man murdered in the early 1980s, while the case remains unsolved.
Bones recovered from a deteriorated 50-gallon drum in Lake Mead in May 2022 have been identified as those of Edward Lelburian Jackson, a man in his mid-to-late 50s who was shot to death in the early 1980s, officials said Thursday. Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse confirmed the identification was made through genealogical DNA testing conducted by Oklahoma State University, which matched a DNA sample to a relative of the deceased.
Jackson, who also went by the nickname “Buddy,” was originally from Arkansas, had lived in Los Angeles, and had a criminal record in Utah for aggravated arson and fraud in the early 1980s. He had no known ties to Las Vegas and no children, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police homicide Lieutenant Robert Price.
Police have not linked the murder to organized-crime activity, and investigators have no leads on the perpetrator. "At this point in our investigation, we don’t have any information to support those theories," Price said at a news conference. Authorities have spoken to distant relatives, who provided only limited information about Jackson’s life, and are asking the public for tips that might help solve the case.
The discovery of Jackson’s remains follows the identification of several other sets of remains found in Lake Mead in 2022, including individuals who had been reported missing or drowned in previous decades.