Lake Mead barrel victim identified as Edward Jackson, killed in early 1980s
Remains found in a drum in Lake Mead in 2022 have been identified as Edward "Buddy" Jackson, believed murdered in the early 1980s. The killer remains unknown.
Lake Mead barrel victim named four years after bones were pulled from the reservoir
The man whose remains were discovered inside a deteriorating drum on the bed of Lake Mead in May 2022 has been identified as Edward Lelburian Jackson, a travelling man from Arkansas believed to have been in his mid- to late 50s at the time of his death. Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse confirmed the identity on Thursday, nbcnews.com reports.
Jackson — known to family as "Buddy" — was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said. Investigators believe the killing took place in the early 1980s, based on remnants of clothing recovered with the remains and on interviews conducted with relatives.
Identity solved through genealogical DNA testing
The breakthrough came through genealogical testing carried out by Oklahoma State University, which took over the case and developed a strong lead this year. A DNA packet sent to a potential relative returned a match, Rouse said.
Despite the identification, investigators have found it difficult to build a detailed picture of Jackson's life. Price said that relatives contacted by police were several degrees removed from the victim and knew little about him beyond a nickname.
"They only knew, like, brief about him being Uncle Buddy," homicide Lt. Robert Price said at a news conference. "It was very limited information in reference to what he did as far as work and what kind of personality he was."
No confirmed connection to organised crime
The discovery — made as Lake Mead's water levels receded sharply during an ongoing drought — generated widespread coverage in the United States and abroad. Las Vegas's history prompted speculation that organised crime could have been involved in the killing.
Lt. Price was direct in addressing those theories. "At this point in our investigation, we don't have any information to support those theories," he said.
Jackson had no known connection to Las Vegas and there is no information indicating he gambled, Price said. He had lived in Los Angeles and had been married in the early 1970s. Records from Utah show a criminal history in the early 1980s on charges of aggravated arson and conspiracy involving fraud. He had no known children.
Witness's wife described a 'very deteriorated' drum
The remains were found on 1 May 2022 by a witness whose wife, Shawna Hollister, later described the scene to NBC affiliate KSNV. Her husband had heard a woman scream, went to investigate and found a drum containing mostly bones, "except for some of his shirt and belt showing," Hollister said.
The drum was described at the time as a "very deteriorated" 50-gallon barrel — one of several sets of human remains that emerged from the reservoir that summer as water levels dropped to historic lows.
Other 2022 remains identified; murder remains unsolved
Other sets of remains found in 2022 have since been identified as individuals reported to have drowned: Thomas Erndt, 42, of Las Vegas, who drowned in 2002, and Donald P. Smith, 39, of North Las Vegas, who drowned in 1974. A fourth set of remains — those of Claude Russell Pensinger, 52, of Las Vegas, who disappeared on 14 July 1998 — were identified in 2023, though no cause or manner of death was determined.
Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, has been subject to a drought lasting more than 25 years, described as the worst in its history by the Colorado River Commission of Nevada. Rising temperatures and low snowpack have accelerated the decline in water levels.
In Jackson's case, the question of who pulled the trigger remains open. Police are appealing to the public for information about the kind of person Jackson was and who he associated with, saying such details could be vital to the investigation.
"It's an unsolved case. It'll never be closed until we solve it," Price said. "It's a piece of the puzzle."
Source: Google News MT