# Nevada police identify barrel victim after years-long investigation

> Edward Buddy Lelburian Jackson was found shot dead in Lake Mead in 2022. DNA finally identified him four years later.
- Title: Nevada police identify barrel victim after years-long…
- Summary: Edward Buddy Lelburian Jackson was found shot dead in Lake Mead in 2022. DNA finally identified him four years later. Nevada police identified Edward Buddy…
- Keywords: edward buddy lelburian jackson, lake mead, las vegas, nevada, homicide investigation, cold case, news, world, police, identify, barrel, victim
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c670pnlgzq7po
- Published: 2026-10-16T01:35:40.817+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: edward buddy lelburian jackson, lake mead, las vegas, nevada, homicide investigation, cold case, news, world
## Body found in barrel identified
Nevada police have identified Edward Buddy Lelburian Jackson, found dead in a corroded barrel near Las Vegas in May two thousand twenty-two with a gunshot wound to the head.
## Drought exposed the barrel
The corroded barrel was exposed in Lake Mead after a severe drought caused water levels to drop. His remains went unidentified until recently, when investigators found his family using DNA.
## No mob connection found
Robert Price, a homicide detective with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said there is no evidence the death was tied to any known criminal group, despite public speculation.

> At this point in our investigation, we don't have information to support those theories.
## Jackson died in the nineteen eighties
Jackson is believed to have died after being shot in the head in the nineteen eighties, probably in his mid to late fifties.
## Killer and motive still unknown
Police are still working to identify Jackson's killer and any motive in the shooting. The bullet that killed him has not been found. Nothing else was found in the barrel besides his clothing.
## More bodies expected as lake recedes
Three other people have been found in Lake Mead and positively identified. Two are believed to have died from drowning, while a third death remains unexplained. Lake Mead supplies drinking water to twenty million people.
## Key takeaway

Nevada police identified Edward Buddy Lelburian Jackson, found dead in a barrel in Lake Mead in May two thousand twenty-two, after a years-long DNA investigation.