Officials Identify Body Found in Barrel on Drying Lake Mead Shore in 2022

Clark County officials on Thursday (Oct. 15) released the identity of the man whose remains were discovered inside a corroded metal barrel on the exposed shoreline of Lake Mead—a case that initially reignited decades‑old speculation about Las Vegas’ organized‑crime past.

The coroner’s office identified the victim as Edward “Buddy” Lelburian Jackson, an Arkansas native believed to have been in his mid-to-late 50s when he was killed.

Jackson’s body was found in May 2022 by boaters who spotted the barrel after receding water levels uncovered long‑submerged terrain. His remains were located near Hemenway Harbor, one of several sites where the shrinking reservoir has revealed previously hidden debris and human remains.

Mob Hit Theory a Miss

The discovery immediately stirred public fascination, largely because of the barrel—a hallmark of mob-era killings during the 1970s and early 1980s, when organized crime families exerted influence over Las Vegas casinos.

The Mob Museum and several historians floated theories that the victim could be one of several men who vanished during that period, including slot-cheating overseer George “Jay” Vandermark, drug courier-turned-informant William Crespo, or casino worker Johnny Pappas, who owned a boat at Lake Mead. All three disappeared without a trace.

But investigators said Thursday that none of those theories fit the evidence.

Jackson had a limited criminal history in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the early 1980s—including an aggravated arson case and a fraud‑related conspiracy charge—but detectives emphasized that nothing uncovered so far suggests his death was tied to organized crime.

Who Was Edward Jackson and Why Was He Killed?

He was originally from Arkansas (last known residence in Hot Springs before moving to California), lived in the L.A. area with a wife he had for a short time in the early 1970s, and was last seen by relatives when he visited them in Arkansas in the early 1980s. His nieces and nephews, who knew him as “Uncle Buddy,” told authorities he enjoyed traveling, though they were unsure why he was in the Las Vegas area.

Detectives had previously confirmed the victim died from a gunshot wound to the head. Based on the clothing, shoes and Timex wristwatch found with him, they estimated he was killed sometime between the mid‑1970s and early 1980s.

His body was placed in the barrel and left in an area that lay underwater for decades—until the lake’s dramatic decline exposed it.

Jackson’s murder remains unsolved. Investigators say they are continuing to review historical records and follow up on leads, but the decades‑long gap between his death and the discovery of his remains has introduced significant challenges.

Other Bodies Identified

Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, has dropped to historic lows due to prolonged drought, rising temperatures, and heavy demand across the Southwest. As the shoreline retreated, multiple sets of remains surfaced in 2022 alone.

One set was identified as belonging to Thomas Erndt, a 42-year-old Las Vegas man whose remains were found May 7, 2022 at Callville Bay. He was reported to have drowned on August 2, 2002, though his official cause and manner of death remain undetermined.

Another belonged to Claude Russell Pensinger, a 52-year-old Las Vegas man who vanished on July 14, 1998. His remains were found on three separate dates (July 25, Aug. 6, and Aug. 16, 2022) near Boulder Beach, with cause and manner of death also undetermined.

Remains found later that year were linked to the accidental 1974 drowning of Donald P. Smith, a 39-year-old North Las Vegas man whose remains were found Oct. 17 and 19, 2022 at Callville Bay.

Additional remains (including a jawbone with teeth) discovered on Aug. 16, 2026 at Boulder Beach have not been identified but were preliminarily treated as non-criminal.