Las Vegas police are to name the barrel murder victim found in Lake Mead over four years after his mob-style killing

Las Vegas police have named the man whose remains were found sealed inside a barrel at Lake Mead in May 2022, with a public announcement set for a 3pm Thursday briefing. The Clark County coroner's office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department jointly confirmed the identification on Wednesday, more than four years after boaters discovered the remains near Hemenway Harbor as dropping water levels uncovered previously submerged terrain. Investigators established that the victim had been killed by a gunshot wound to the back of the head, ruling the death a homicide and placing the killing in the late 1970s to early 1980s.

The victim was dressed in Kmart clothing and shoes dating to the mid-to-late 1970s, and his age at death is estimated at between 27 and 61.

Homicide detective Phil Ramos said in 2023 that "somebody out there is sweating" over the evidence police had recovered, signalling that investigators had long believed the killer could be identified.

Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse, Homicide Lieutenant Robert Price and Oklahoma State forensic sciences expert Dr Jason Beaman are all expected to speak at Thursday's briefing.