Las Vegas police have identified the man whose remains were found inside a corroded barrel exposed by Lake Mead's falling water in May 2022 as Edward "Buddy" Lelburian Jackson, the Las Vegas Sun, ABC News and the BBC reported. He had been shot once in the head, according to the Sun and the BBC. Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse said he was in his mid- to late 50s when he died, the Sun reported.

Clothing, shoes and a watch found with the body suggested he died in the late 1970s to early 1980s, the Sun reported. ABC News reported that the clues put the killing between about 1975 and 1985. Police said Jackson was originally from Arkansas, traveled widely and had no known ties to Las Vegas, the BBC reported. His family never reported him missing, the Sun and the BBC reported. "He would show up when he showed up," homicide Lt. Robert Price said, according to the Sun.

Investigators matched a bone sample to a living relative earlier this year through forensic genealogy, working with Oklahoma State University, the Sun reported. ABC News reported that DNA profiling found a family match earlier this year.

The killing fueled years of speculation about a mob hit. Price said investigators have no proof the death was tied to organized crime, the Sun reported, though he added, "we're not saying it's not." The BBC reported that Price said there was no evidence tying the death to any known criminal group. Jackson had a criminal history in Utah from the early 1980s, the Sun reported.

Jackson was the last of four people whose remains surfaced at Lake Mead during the 2022 drought to be identified, the Sun reported. The investigation is active and ongoing, ABC News reported, and the Sun reported that the homicide remains an open case.

What we know: Police and the coroner say the barrel victim was Edward "Buddy" Lelburian Jackson, an Arkansas man who was shot in the head decades ago.
What we don't: Who killed him, why, or exactly when he died.