The discovery made news across the U.S. and overseas.
asserted
discovery → make → U.S.
At Lake Mead, a short drive in the desert from Las Vegas, the bones of a man in an old drum were found as the reservoir’s waters receded in 2022.
asserted
waters → find → 2022
The identity of the man, one of several sets of remains found that summer, was a mystery.
asserted
identity → find → remains
But the cause of death was more certain: There was a single gunshot wound to the head, and he was murdered, police said.
asserted
police → be → head
On Thursday, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse identified the remains as those of Edward Lelburian Jackson, a man in his mid- to late 50s.
asserted
Rouse → identify → 50s
But who killed him remains unknown.
asserted
killed → kill → him
Police said they believe he was killed in the early ’80s, based on remnants of clothing and interviews with his family.
asserted
he → say → family
The discovery of the body, and Las Vegas’ history, prompted speculation that organized crime may have been involved.
“At this point in our investigation, we don’t have any information to support those theories,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police homicide Lt. Robert Price said at a news conference.
uncertain
Price → prompt → conference
Jackson was from Arkansas and had no known connection to Las Vegas, but he traveled around the country, Price said.
asserted
Price → have → country
There’s no information that Jackson gambled, he said.
asserted
he → ’ → ?
He lived in Los Angeles and had been married in the early ’70s.
asserted
He → live → 70s
There are also records from Utah, where he had a criminal history in the early ’80s on charges of aggravated arson and conspiracy involving fraud, officials said.
asserted
officials → be → fraud
Jackson, who also went by “Buddy,” had no known children, Price said.
asserted
Price → go → children
The remains were found May 1, 2022, in what the wife of a witness described at the time as a “very deteriorated” 50-gallon drum.
uncertain
wife → find → drum
Shawna Hollister told NBC affiliate KSNV of Las Vegas at the time that her husband heard a woman scream, went to investigate and found a drum with mostly bones inside, “except for some of his shirt and belt showing.”
The identity was solved through genealogical testing, officials said.
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officials → tell → testing
Oklahoma State University, which took over testing, had a strong lead this year, and a DNA packet sent to a possible relative turned out to be a match, said Rouse, the coroner.
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Rouse → take → relative
Price said investigators have spoken to relatives, but they are several degrees removed, and details about Jackson’s life were limited.
asserted
details → say → life
“They only knew, like, brief about him being Uncle Buddy,” Price said.
asserted
Price → know → brief
Price said police will research Jackson but are asking the public for help.
asserted
police → say → help
He said someone who knew Jackson, the type of person he was and whom he associated with would be able to provide vital information for investigators.
asserted
he → say → investigators
“It’s an unsolved case.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’ll never be closed until we solve it,” Price said.
asserted
Price → close → it
“It’s a piece of the puzzle.
asserted
It → ’ → puzzle
”
Other remains found in 2022 have been identified as those of people who were reported to have drowned, the coroner’s office has said:
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office → find → people
The remains of Claude Russell Pensinger, 52, of Las Vegas, who disappeared July 14, 1998, were identified in 2023, the office said, but no cause or manner was determined.
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cause → disappear → 2023
The water levels at Lake Mead, a reservoir created by the iconic Hoover Dam, have declined as it has suffered a drought of more than 25 years, the worst in its history, according to the Colorado River Commission of Nevada.
uncertain
it → create → Nevada
Increasing temperatures and low snowpack have also played a role, it says.
asserted
it → increase → role
The Aporia
