Las Vegas investigators have identified the human remains found inside a barrel at Lake Mead in May 2022 as Edward Lelburian Jackson. A man from Arkansas who was in his 50s at the time of his death, Jackson died from a single gunshot wound in a killing that remains unsolved.
Genetic Genealogy Identifies Edward Lelburian Jackson
The Clark County Coroner’s Office formally identified the victim as Edward Lelburian Jackson, also known as “Buddy,” after more than four years of investigation. Boaters discovered his remains on May 1, 2022, near Hemenway Harbor, after the water levels of Lake Mead dropped to historic lows.
At a news conference on October 15, 2026, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse explained that forensic scientists at Oklahoma State University supported the identification through investigative genetic genealogy. Rouse shared a grainy picture of a smiling and bearded man holding a baby on a screen behind her during the public announcement.
Jackson was killed sometime between the mid-1970s and early 1980s, investigators estimate. He was found wearing a silver wristwatch, light blue jeans, a short-sleeve button-down shirt, and blue-and-white size 11 Trax tennis shoes.
Family members told investigators that Jackson lived in California with his wife in the early 1970s and visited relatives in Arkansas in the early 1980s. They had not reported him missing, figuring he was simply out and about. Price noted that the family’s information regarding his career and personality was very limited
.
Police Investigate 1980s Homicide
The circumstances of Jackson’s death remain unclear. Lieutenant Robert Price of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department stated there is currently no evidence linking the murder to organized crime, though Jackson had a brief criminal history in Salt Lake City in the early 1980s—including a charge of aggravated arson and conspiracy to commit fraud.
It’s an unsolved case. It will never be closed until we solve it.
Price, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
The case carries the earmarks of a mob hit,
observed Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits and programs at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. He noted similarities to the 1976 death of mobster John Roselli, whose body was also found in a barrel dumped in a bay near Miami Beach.
Schumacher also noted that members of organized crime were involved in the Las Vegas casino industry from the 1940s to the mid-1980s, both behind the scenes and through shadow ownerships. Authorities maintain they have no information to support such theories. Price emphasized that detectives are continuing to gather pieces of the puzzle to determine why Jackson was in Las Vegas and who was responsible for his death.
Drought Exposes Lakebed Remains
In August 2026, the reservoir’s water level dipped to 1,039.77 feet above sea level, well below the previous record low set in July 2022. The discovery of Jackson’s remains is part of a series of human remains found as Lake Mead’s water level receded due to prolonged drought, overuse, and rising temperatures.
Lake Mead and the upstream Lake Powell serve as the largest human-made reservoirs in the United States, providing Colorado River water to more than 40 million people, tribes, agriculture, and industry across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Mexico. In 2022, dropping water levels exposed Las Vegas’ uppermost drinking water intake, forcing authorities to switch to a deeper intake completed in 2020 to continue serving the region’s 2.4 million residents, visitors, suburbs, and casinos.
In 2022, a chilling discovery at Lake Mead reignited speculation about Las Vegas’ organized crime past. Along the lake’s receding shoreline, a visitor discovered a corroded barrel containing human remains. The victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner in… pic.twitter.com/f7Qx8cNt13
- A set of skeletal remains found in May 2022, identified as a drowning victim from 2002.
- Remains discovered in August 2022, identified as a 52-year-old Las Vegas resident who disappeared in 1998.
- A set of remains found in October 2022, determined to be an accidental drowning from 1974.
Las Vegas historian Michael Green suggested that those who committed crimes in the area decades ago likely believed their actions would never come near the surface
. In the early 1980s, lake levels were so high that spillways flooded at Hoover Dam.
Local authorities remain prepared for the possibility of further discoveries as the water continues to drop.
