Police have identified a man who had been found dead at Burning Man in a 'pool of blood' over the weekend.
Officials were notified on Saturday (30 August) that a man had been found by a fellow festivalgoer 'lying in a pool of blood' and 'obviously deceased'.
The situation is being treated as a homicide, with Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen saying that the man's death appeared to be 'a singular crime' as the body was being taken to a coroner for further examination.
An update in the investigation had police asking for any information that might point towards the man's identity as they could not initially determine who he was, but they have now made that breakthrough in identifying the victim.
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Officials said the man found dead at Burning Man was Vadim Kruglov, a 37-year-old Russian national who had been living in Washington and was identified by his fingerprints.
Kruglov had been reported missing by his friends who said he had last been seen on 29 August and, according to a friend who accompanied him to Burning Man, 'his tent and belongings were left at camp, but he never returned'.
Sofiia Shcherbakova said on social media that Kruglov had not been in contact since then and appealed for more information which could help the man be found.
Sadly, the reason he went missing and never returned for his belongings is because the 37-year-old was the one found dead days earlier.
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Police had said they wanted to know the identity of a 'white male adult decedent who is between the ages of 35 and 40, approximately 6 feet tall and 200 lbs, with short brown hair and facial hair', with Kruglov appearing to fit that description.
He was found dead at around 9:14pm local time on Saturday, according to investigators, at around the time Burning Man's wooden effigy was set alight.
Police are still appealing for information and anyone who saw Kruglov before his death is encouraged to get in touch by calling 775-273-2641 or emailing [email protected].
Kruglov's friend Shcherbakova asked people for their help in working out his movements, urging people to check videos and remember if they'd seen him.
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She said: "We sincerely ask for your help. It's crucial for us to retrace Vadim's last few days at Burning Man. He was definitely at Mine Warrior, danced inside the pyramid and may have appeared in video from art cars or spent time with people in the camps."
Burning Man organisers released a statement on the man's death, saying: "Our hearts go out to Vadim’s family and friends and we grieve the loss of a community member.
"Burning Man Project is doing everything we can to assist the Sheriff’s investigation so the perpetrator can be caught and brought to justice.
"This includes our intent for a coordinated donation to the Secret Witness program, which offers rewards for more information that contributes to law enforcement’s investigation.
"Burning Man Project extends our deepest condolences to Mr. Kruglov’s loved ones as they prepare to return him home to Russia."
Joe Harker