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This year’s Burning Man festival was reportedly marred by a string of shocking incidents, from a surprise birth to a possible electrocution, in addition to the homicide of a Russian national at the famous gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
A Utah couple who attended Burning Man, held this year from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1, left the festival as new parents and did not even know they were expecting.
Kayla Thompson, 37, woke up in their recreational vehicle on Aug. 27 with abdominal pain she mistook for cramps, FOX 2 reported, citing her sister-in-law Lacey Paxman.
Thompson, who said she had no idea she was pregnant, gave birth in their RV to their daughter, Aurora, who weighed 3 pounds and 9.7 ounces. Thompson’s family said she had experienced a cryptic pregnancy, a rare condition where pregnancy goes unnoticed until late in the term or delivery, according to FOX 2.
The incidents have made headlines as authorities continue to investigate the death of Vadim Kruglov, a 37-year-old Russian national who was found “lying in a pool of blood” at the event. Officials have indicated that his death appears to be an isolated incident.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen’s office told Fox News Digital there was “no update” on the case on Sunday. Police have not yet named a suspect in the killing.

Attendees walk through a muddy desert plain on September 2, 2023, after heavy rains turned the annual Burning Man festival site in Nevada’s Black Rock desert into a mud pit. (JULIE JAMMOT/AFP via Getty Images)
The annual Burning Man gathering draws tens of thousands of attendees, turning the desert into a temporary city filled with themed camps, massive art installations and ceremonial fires. Last year, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office reported that 28 people had been arrested at the event, up from 13 arrests in 2023, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.
Burning Man organizers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.