Mystery solved: Investigators identify body found in barrel at Lake Mead in 2022

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After more than four years of mystery and speculation, investigators have identified the homicide victim found in a barrel at Lake Mead in 2022.

A forensic investigation identified the man, who was killed in the 1980s, as Edward Lelburian Jackson.

Officials with the Clark County Coroner's Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department made the identification during a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

Watch as Jackson's identity is revealed and investigators share new details of the murder case:

Jackson was originally from Arkansas and, as of Thursday, detectives have not been able to identify his connection to Las Vegas, Lt. Robert Price said. Investigators believe he was in his mid-to-late 50s at the time of his death.

His remains were found in a barrel at Hemenway Harbor on May 1, 2022. Drought and Lake Mead's receding water line exposed the barrel after it was submerged for nearly 40 years.

In the years since the discovery, investigators worked to identify him based on skeletal remains preserved inside the barrel.

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What we know about the body found in a barrel at Lake Mead in 2022

Alyssa Roberts

An autopsy revealed Jackson died from a gunshot wound to the head. While we now know his name and additional details about his background, Price said the case won't be solved until investigators identify the person who killed him.

Investigators are asking the public to come forward with any information they might be able to share about Jackson. Based on Thursday's press conference, here's what we do know:

• Jackson was originally from Arkansas but lived in the Los Angeles area with his wife in the early 1970s.
• His last known residence before moving to California was in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Once he moved to California, "we lose track of him," Price said.
• Family members recalled last seeing Jackson when he visited them in Arkansas in the early 1980s.
• Police say he had a "brief" criminal history in Salt Lake City, Utah that included aggravated arson and conspiracy to commit fraud.

Price also addressed speculation in the years since Jackson's body was found that his murder may have been connected to organized crime. Investigators "don't have any information to support those theories," he said.