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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man was found dead lying in a pool of blood at Burning Man on Saturday, prompting local authorities to launch a homicide investigation, according to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.
On Aug. 30, just before 9:15 p.m., while the festival’s eponymous effigy was starting to burn, a PCSO deputy was flagged down by an attendee who reported a man lying in a pool of blood.
When PCSO deputies and Bureau of Land Management rangers responded, they found the man lying on the ground, “obviously deceased,” according to a press release from PCSO.
Authorities are investigating the death as a homicide and have interviewed several festival participants in the area. The portion of Black Rock City, a temporary city in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert built for the event, where the man was found dead, is set to have a heavy law enforcement presence while the investigation continues, according to PCSO.
The homicide appears to be an isolated incident, but all festival goers were urged to be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances, PCSO said.
The identity of the man has not been released.
Anyone with information regarding the homicide is asked to contact Investigator Josh Nicholson through PCSO dispatch at 775-273-2641 and reference case #25-318.
The organizers of Burning Man released the following statement Sunday:
“The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a single white adult male that occurred the night of Saturday, August 30 in Black Rock City. Burning Man is cooperating with law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office will be the primary source of further information. If you are in Black Rock City, do not interfere with law enforcement activity.
The safety and well-being of our community are paramount. Participants have access to free public WiFi at the 3 and 9 o’clock plazas, Playa Info (near Center Camp), Ranger HQ (Esplanade & 6:30), at the Emergency Services Department station at 5:15 & Esplanade, and in Center Camp should they need to communicate with loved ones.
If you’re in Black Rock City and need support, there are resources available to you:
- Black Rock Rangers are available to provide peer support services 24/7 at Ranger HQ (Esplanade & 6:30) and Outposts (behind the 3:00 and 9:00 Plazas).
- Black Rock City’s Emergency Services Department’s Crisis Support team are available 24/7 at the ESD stations located at 5:15 & Esplanade and behind the 3:00 and 9:00 Plazas.“
Burning Man is set to run through Sept. 1. The event was expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the dry lakebed in northern Nevada, where they “build a fully functional city where they live and work for a week, then make it disappear without a trace,” according to Burning Man’s website.
