Authorities are investigating a death at the Burning Man festival in Nevada as a homicide after a man was discovered in a “pool of blood” Saturday night as the giant wooden effigy was set ablaze.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were alerted just before 9:15 p.m.
A festivalgoer flagged down law enforcement and reported a man lying on the ground.
The body was discovered at the desert encampment known as Black Rock City.
Deputies and Bureau of Land Management rangers immediately responded and “found a single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
The man’s identity has not yet been released.
However, the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office has taken custody of the body.
Investigators quickly secured the area, interviewing nearby participants and creating a perimeter around the campsite.
Authorities described the case as “complicated” due to the difficulty of preserving a crime scene in a temporary city that “will be gone by the middle of the week.”
The sheriff’s office urged participants to remain alert:
“It appears to be a singular crime but [we] urge everyone at the festival to be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances.”
The sheriff’s office is