Forensic genealogy helped authorities identify Edward “Buddy” Lelburian Jackson, whose killing remains unsolved more than four decades later.
LAS VEGAS, NV — Authorities have identified the homicide victim whose remains were discovered inside a rusted barrel at Lake Mead in 2022 as Edward “Buddy” Lelburian Jackson, an Arkansas man believed to have been killed more than four decades ago.
Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse announced Jackson’s identity Thursday, Oct. 15, more than four years after boaters found the barrel near Hemenway Harbor as declining water levels exposed areas that had long been submerged. Jackson was believed to have been in his mid- to late 50s when he died. Authorities said he had been shot once in the head. Identifying him gives detectives a new starting point in a homicide investigation that reaches back to the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Investigators said Jackson was originally from Arkansas and had lived at different times in California and Utah. His family last recalled seeing him in Arkansas in the early 1980s. He had not been reported missing, according to reports on the investigation. Family members told investigators that Jackson traveled frequently, which may help explain why his disappearance did not immediately lead to a missing-person case.
The identification followed years of forensic work. Investigators had previously released composite images of the unidentified man and details about the clothing recovered with his remains. A bone sample was later used for forensic genealogy, a process that compares DNA information with family-line data in an effort to identify unknown remains. An early possible match was not considered strong enough to confirm an identity.
Oklahoma State University’s forensic sciences team later continued the genealogy work. Investigators said a stronger potential family connection emerged, allowing authorities to obtain DNA from Jackson’s relatives. That comparison ultimately gave officials enough evidence to confirm that the remains belonged to Jackson. The breakthrough shifted the case from an unidentified-victim investigation to a renewed effort to determine who killed him and why.
Jackson’s remains were found May 1, 2022, during a period when drought and long-term water losses had sharply lowered Lake Mead. The falling shoreline exposed the barrel near Hemenway Harbor. Investigators determined from the condition of the remains and clothing that the body had likely been placed in the lake decades earlier, when the location would have been covered by much deeper water.
The unusual circumstances fueled speculation that Jackson’s death could have been connected to organized crime in Las Vegas during an era when mob figures had a major presence in the city. Police, however, have said they have not found evidence establishing such a connection. Jackson had a brief criminal history in Utah in the early 1980s, but investigators have not said that history was connected to his death.
Authorities also have not established why Jackson was in the Las Vegas area before he died. His work, movements and contacts during the period surrounding his killing remain important unanswered questions. Investigators have not publicly identified a suspect, established a motive or announced evidence showing who placed his body in the barrel.
The 2022 discovery drew national attention because it came as receding water exposed several sets of human remains around Lake Mead. Those discoveries did not all involve suspected homicides, and investigators treated them as separate cases. Jackson’s case stood out because authorities quickly determined that he had suffered a fatal gunshot wound and that the barrel had apparently been used to conceal his body.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police homicide detectives are continuing to investigate Jackson’s killing now that his identity is known. Officials hope information about his life, travels and associates may provide new leads in a case that had remained largely frozen for more than 40 years. No arrest has been announced, and the circumstances that brought Jackson to Lake Mead remain unresolved.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.