Lake Mead Barrel Victim Identified Decades After Suspected Killing
LAS VEGAS — More than four years after a body was discovered inside a barrel at Lake Mead, investigators have identified the victim as Edward Lelburian Jackson, known to his family as “Buddy.”
Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse announced Thursday that DNA analysis and forensic investigative genealogy helped establish Jackson’s identity, providing a breakthrough in a homicide investigation believed to date back more than four decades.
Investigators estimate Jackson was in his mid-to-late 50s when he died. Las Vegas police determined he had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.
The National Park Service reported discovering the barrel May 1, 2022, in shallow water near Hemingway Harbor. Clothing recovered with the remains was consistent with styles worn during the late 1970s and early 1980s, helping investigators develop an approximate timeline.
Authorities believe Jackson was killed in the early 1980s, although the precise date and circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
Jackson’s relatives told investigators he was originally from Arkansas and traveled around the country. Family members last saw him during a visit with relatives in Arkansas in the early 1980s.
That account places his last known family visit within the same general period investigators believe the killing occurred. However, the information provided does not establish where Jackson went afterward or how he ultimately reached Lake Mead.
Forensic investigative genealogy combines DNA findings with family-history research to help identify unknown individuals. In Jackson’s case, investigators used that approach alongside DNA analysis to restore a name to remains discovered decades after his suspected death.
The identification answers a question that has surrounded the barrel discovery since 2022, but significant questions remain about Jackson’s final movements.
The information released did not identify a suspect, describe a motive or explain who placed his body inside the barrel.