Nevada police identify man found in Lake Mead barrel as Edward "Buddy" Jackson
After a DNA investigation, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police identified the remains recovered from a barrel in Lake Mead as Edward "Buddy" Jackson, who is believed to have been shot in the 1980s.
Police in Nevada have identified the remains of a man discovered in a corroded barrel near Las Vegas in May 2022. The individual was named Edward "Buddy" Lelburian Jackson, a native of Arkansas who had lived in California and Utah and was known to travel across the western United States.
Jackson was found with a single gunshot wound to the head; the bullet has not been recovered. The barrel, exposed as Lake Mead’s water level fell during a severe drought, contained only his clothing.
"There is no evidence that the death was tied to any known criminal group," homicide detective Robert Price said at a news conference.
Price added that Jackson had no known connections to Las Vegas, had never been reported missing, and had previously been arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah. He estimated that Jackson was in his mid-to-late 50s at the time of death, which is believed to have occurred in the 1980s.
Authorities continue to investigate the killing and any possible motive. Police have warned that receding lake levels could reveal additional remains; three other bodies have already been recovered and identified, with two deaths attributed to drowning and one remaining unexplained.