The individual who was discovered deceased at this year’s Burning Man event has been identified.
On August 30, authorities were alerted by a festival attendee about a man “lying in a pool of blood.”
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office released a statement, saying: “On August 30, 2025, at approximately 9:14 p.m., during the burning of the ‘Man’, a deputy from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office was approached by an event participant who reported a male subject lying in a pool of blood.
“Deputies from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and Rangers from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) promptly responded to the location and discovered a single white adult male on the ground, clearly deceased.”
“PCSO Deputies, BLM Rangers, and Burning Man Project Black Rock Rangers established a perimeter around the site, and PCSO along with BLM commenced an investigation,” the police statement continued.
“The Forensic Science Division of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office was called to assist in processing the scene and gathering evidence. Law enforcement on site conducted interviews with several individuals in the vicinity.”
The death of the festival participant was rapidly classified as a suspected homicide, prompting the police to initiate a murder investigation.
Initially, the identity of the deceased man was unknown, but he has now been identified as Vadim Kruglov, a Russian national. According to Mail Online, his family has been informed by the Nevada Bureau of Land Management.
In a separate effort, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist Kruglov’s family in raising funds to transport his body back home for a proper burial.
The campaign describes Kruglov as “a true hero of Burning Man.” It further states: “Vadim poured his soul into our community: building camp, creating art, helping others, and always sharing his kindness and energy. His contributions will forever remain part of the Burn’s history.”
“Now, we want to honor his memory and support his family,” wrote the organizer of the GoFundMe page.
“We are raising funds to bring him home to Omsk, so that his parents can say their last goodbye and lay him to rest with his loved ones.”
At the time of this report, the fundraiser is close to achieving its $15,000 target.
The Washoe County Nevada Regional Medical Examiner confirmed Kruglov’s identity on the night of September 3.
The cause of death has yet to be determined and is currently “pending further investigation.”
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