Man found dead in suspected homicide at Burning Man

A man was found dead Saturday in a suspected homicide at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.

The man, described as a white adult, was found “lying on the ground” and deceased after 9 p.m. on Saturday, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.

The discovery was made while the “Man,” a large human-shaped wooden sculpture at the center of the festival in Black Rock City, was engulfed in flames. A participant flagged down a sheriff’s deputy and reported seeing “a male subject lying in a pool of blood,” the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies, along with Bureau Land Management rangers and Burning Man Black Rock rangers, created a perimeter around the area and interviewed participants.

Officials said the identity of the man is unknown, and the body has been transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances,” the sheriff’s office said.

Law enforcement is preserving the crime scene, noting the case is a “complicated investigation,” as the makeshift city will be gone by the middle of the week. The annual festival kicked off Aug. 24 and ends Monday.

Anyone with information regarding the homicide is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.

Burning Man said in a statement it is cooperating with law enforcement.

“If you are in Black Rock City, do not interfere with law enforcement activity,” the festival said. “The safety and well-being of our community are paramount.”

The festival said Black Rock rangers can offer peer support services at the ranger headquarters and outposts, and Black Rock City’s Emergency Services Department’s crisis support team is available 24/7 at stations.

Last week at the festival, which attracts tens of thousands of people from across the country, a woman “spontaneously” gave birth in an RV camper to her and her husband’s first child.

The baby was born Aug. 27. Mother Kayla Thompson told The New York Times she was asleep in the camper when she started experiencing a lot of “pain” and minutes later gave birth to a 3-pound, 9-ounce baby girl.

She said she didn’t appear pregnant and “didn’t have any symptoms” of pregnancy.

“Even the nurses at the hospital were like, ‘You don’t look like you were pregnant at all,’” she told the publication.