LAS VEGAS — Authorities have identified a man whose body was discovered inside a rusted barrel after falling water levels exposed part of Lake Mead’s shoreline, providing a name in a decades-old homicide that remains unsolved.

The remains belong to Edward Lelburian Jackson, an Arkansas man who was believed to be in his mid- to late 50s when he was killed, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse announced Thursday.

Jackson, also known as “Buddy,” was shot in the head and placed inside the barrel. Investigators believe he died in the early 1980s.

Boaters discovered the barrel near Hemenway Harbor on May 1, 2022. Drought and heavy demand for Colorado River water had lowered the reservoir, exposing ground that had been submerged for years.

The discovery attracted national attention and fueled speculation about a possible connection to organized crime during an era when mob figures wielded considerable influence in Las Vegas.

Police said they have found no evidence directly linking Jackson’s death to organized crime, although they have not ruled out a connection. The identity of his killer and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown.

Authorities identified Jackson with the help of forensic genetic genealogy. Rouse said investigators used a bone sample for genealogy profiling, along with facial reconstructions and information about the clothing found with his remains.

The FBI and Oklahoma State University assisted in the identification effort, according to published reporting.

Jackson was originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas, and had also lived in California and Utah. His family last saw him in the early 1980s.

He had not been reported missing. Relatives described him as someone who traveled independently, leaving investigators without a missing-person report that could have provided an early connection to the remains.

Authorities are now seeking information from anyone who knew Jackson or can help establish where he was living, working or traveling before his death.

The identification resolves the question of who was inside the barrel but leaves investigators facing the more difficult task of reconstructing a killing more than four decades later.

The barrel was among several discoveries of human remains as Lake Mead receded. Other cases have involved drowning victims, underscoring how the reservoir’s retreat has exposed evidence of very different deaths.

Jackson’s case stood apart because of the gunshot wound and the deliberate concealment of his body.

Investigators hope that releasing his name will prompt someone to recognize him and supply details that forensic testing alone cannot recover.

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