Man found dead at Burning Man as Pershing County opens homicide probe

A man was found dead in a pool of blood at the Burning Man festival Saturday night in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, and Pershing County authorities have opened a homicide investigation, officials said. The body of a single white adult male was discovered about 9:14 to 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 30 as the event's central wooden effigy known as the Man was being set alight, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement.

Deputies from the Pershing County Sheriff's Office and rangers from the Bureau of Land Management responded after a festivalgoer flagged down a deputy and reported seeing a man lying on the ground, officials said. Responders, joined by Black Rock Rangers and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office Forensic Science Division, found the victim "obviously deceased" and pronounced him dead at the scene. His remains were taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office and his identity has not been released.

Authorities set up a perimeter around the area and have interviewed several participants who were in the immediate vicinity, Allen said. He cautioned that while the death appears to be an isolated incident, attendees should be vigilant of their surroundings and...