这一发现迅速引发了全美乃至海外的媒体关注。2022年，随着米德湖水位下降，人们在距离拉斯维加斯不远的沙漠地带发现了一个装着人类遗骸的旧桶子。那年夏天，人们在该地区还发现了多具遗骸，但这名男子的身份一直成谜。不过警方确认其死因：头部有一处枪伤，显然是遭人谋杀。上周四，克拉克县法医梅兰妮·劳斯确认，这些遗骸属于55岁左右的爱德华·莱尔布里安·杰克逊。
The discovery made news across the U.S. and overseas. 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. The identity of the man, one of several sets of remains found that summer, was a mystery. But the cause of death was more certain: There was a single gunshot wound to the head, and he was murdered, police said. On Thursday, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse identified the remains as those of Edward Lelburian Jackson, a man in his mid- to late 50s.
然而，凶手是谁至今仍无定论。据警方称，结合衣物残片及家属陈述，杰克逊很可能于20世纪80年代初遇害。这具遗骸的发现，加上拉斯维加斯复杂的历史背景，引发了外界关于有组织犯罪涉入的种种猜测。“目前调查阶段，我们尚无任何证据能支持这些推测，”拉斯维加斯大都会警察局凶杀案调查组警官罗伯特·普莱斯在新闻发布会上说道。
But who killed him remains unknown. Police said they believe he was killed in the early ’80s, based on remnants of clothing and interviews with his 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.
据普莱斯介绍，杰克逊原籍阿肯色州，与拉斯维加斯并无关联，但经常往返各地。目前没有迹象显示他曾涉足赌博。他曾在洛杉矶居住，并于70年代初结过婚。官方资料显示，80年代初他在犹他州因严重纵火及诈骗共谋罪留下犯罪记录。普莱斯称，杰克逊还有个绰号叫“巴迪”，并无子女。这些遗骸于2022年5月1日被发现，当时一位目击者的妻子形容那个装遗骸的50加仑大桶“严重腐烂”。
Jackson was from Arkansas and had no known connection to Las Vegas, but he traveled around the country, Price said. There’s no information that Jackson gambled, he said. He lived in Los Angeles and had been married in the early ’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. Jackson, who also went by “Buddy,” had no known children, Price said. 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.
肖娜·霍利斯特后来向当地NBC附属电视台KSNV透露，她的丈夫听到女子尖叫后前去查看，发现桶内几乎全是骨头，“只有部分衬衫和皮带还清晰可见”。最终，通过基因检测才确认了杰克逊的身份。
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.
负责此次尸检工作的俄克拉荷马州立大学在今年取得了显著进展；法医罗斯表示，送往疑似亲属手中的DNA样本确实与失踪者的DNA相匹配。普莱斯称，调查人员已经与这些亲属进行了交谈，但这些亲属与杰克逊的亲属关系较为疏远，因此关于杰克逊生平的详细信息非常有限。“他们只知道杰克逊是‘巴迪叔叔’而已，”普莱斯说，“关于他的工作经历或性格特点，我们掌握的信息非常少。”
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. Price said investigators have spoken to relatives, but they are several degrees removed, and details about Jackson’s life were limited. “They only knew, like, brief about him being Uncle Buddy,” Price said. “It was very limited information in reference to what he did as far as work and what kind of personality he was.”
普莱斯表示，警方将继续调查，同时也呼吁公众提供帮助。他认为，那些认识杰克逊、了解他的性格特点以及他与哪些人交往的人，可能会为调查提供关键线索。“这仍然是一起未侦破的案件；除非我们找到真相，否则它永远都不会被结案，”普莱斯说。法医办公室还表示，2022年发现的其他遗骸已被确认属于以下人员：2002年在拉斯维加斯遇难的托马斯·恩德特（Thomas Erndt，42岁），以及1974年在北拉斯维加斯遇难的唐纳德·P·史密斯（Donald P. Smith，39岁）。
Price said police will research Jackson but are asking the public for 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. “It’s an unsolved case. It’ll never be closed until we solve it,” Price said. “It’s a piece of the 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: Thomas Erndt, 42, of Las Vegas, in 2002, and Donald P. Smith, 39, of North Las Vegas, in 1974.
2023年，1998年7月失踪的拉斯维加斯居民克劳德·拉塞尔·彭辛格（Claude Russell Pensinger，52岁）的遗骸也被确认，但死因和死亡方式尚未查明。根据内华达州科罗拉多河委员会的数据，由于持续了25年以上的干旱（这是该地区历史上最严重的干旱时期），由胡佛大坝形成的米德湖（Lake Mead）的水位已经大幅下降；气温上升和降雪量减少也是导致水位下降的原因之一。
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. 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. Increasing temperatures and low snowpack have also played a role, it says.