First ever homicide at Burning Man - Vadim Kruglov, 37, reported missing at festival days after he was found murdered

[Lalalacasbah]

Would love to go to this event, agreed. I didn't even know it existed until I was looking at a woman's death in Wadsworth (which predates this one) wondering if it might be connected to the event. (Wadsworth is a major stop on the way for many to this event.)

NV Thread 'NV - Wadsworth, Rte 447, Wht/Native Fem 24-33, UP8425, dental wk, healed fracture Rt fibula, Sep'90'

Feb 15, 2017

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/997ufnv.html

The Doe Network Unidentified Female Date of Discovery: September 30, 1990 Location of Discovery: Wadsworth, Washoe County, Nevada Estimated Date of Death: Unknown State of Remains: Not recognizable - Partial skeletal parts only Cause of Death: Homicide Physical Description ** Listed information is approximate Estimated Age: 24-33 years old Race...

• Romulus
• Replies: 16
• Forum: The Unidentified

• 

Big events always, always have problems. It's not the event itself jmo, it's the scope. Could have happened anywhere, at any event of similar size/scope.

I'll check that thread out. Many years ago, it's unsolved? I'll have to go read. Thanks!

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Sorry long post... Posting tibbits of info, hoping tips come in to get an arrest. I feel so bad for his friends and family

• $10, 000 reward being offered
• He died of single stab wound to the neck
• He was found 4 minutes from his camp
• Sounds like it happened when "Man" set ablaze
• Body was found in the outer area of the festival campsite
• Veteran 'burners' told the Daily Mail the area where his remains were found is known as 'free camp' where individuals don’t need reservations for their vehicles or RV.

The timing and location is interesting. The killer maybe knew the crowds would be where the burn was happening so less people around? Also sounds like on outer limits, so more isolated? Was the killer planning in some form?

.......
Burning Man said in a statement they are "cooperating with law enforcement" and that the event -- in collaboration with Secret Witness of Northern Nevada -- is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest for Kruglov's murder.

Also (sorry about the NY Post/DM link but there is limited reporting on this so will take any details as may be helpful):

Kruglov’s lifeless body was discovered in a “pool of blood” around 9 p.m. Saturday, just as the “Man,” a towering, human-shaped wooden sculpture at the center of the festival grounds in Black Rock City, was set ablaze and burned to the ground for festivalgoers.

Other festival goers flagged officials down after Kruglov's bloodied body was found in the outer area of the festival campsite.
Veteran 'burners' told the Daily Mail the area where his remains were found is known as 'free camp' where individuals don’t need reservations for their vehicles or RV.

**Festival goers, many who are involved in Burning Man chat groups specific to their hometowns, have detailed run-ins with an 'unhinged man' the same night of the homicide. The 'burners' said the unidentified man claimed he had a knife and had to clean his RV of blood.

Burning Man homicide: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues

Nearly three weeks after 37-year-old Vadim Kruglov from Russia was found dead in a pool of blood at Burning Man, officials said they have a knife believed to be the murder weapon, but they are still searching for a suspect.

abc7news.com

Heartbroken dad of Burning Man attendee Vadim Kruglov, who was found dead in ‘pool of blood,’ demands justice

“This world is often unfair, but as a peaceful man, I seek justice. I want those responsible to face consequences.”

nypost.com

Heartbroken father of Burning Man murder victim pleads for 'justice'

The father of a Russian native who was found dead at the Burning Man festival demands 'justice'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[snooptroop88]

Unsettling:
Because Kruglov's death happened in such a remote location in the desert, cellphone service is nonexistent in most areas, so video and surveillance evidence is not as available as it would be elsewhere, officials said.

Burning Man homicide investigation: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues

As the search continues for the suspect who allegedly murdered a Burning Man participant at the event late last month, officials said they have located the murder weapon.

abcnews.go.com

The kitchen knife as a weapon-- that does jibe with the "unhinged" suspect and the RV. Sort of. If "unhinged" perp was going to wash blood out of the RV, why'd he leave the knife next to his victim's body? Because-- unhinged, so yes, this could work. & maybe the owner of this tent had things set up for cooking, I'm seeing you can build a fire so long as you've got some fireproof container. So maybe this wasn't even the perp's knife. If the knife's free of prints, though, jmo, this isn't "unhinged."

& the lack of surveillance in the area generally is not so in line with "unhinged." Could just be a coincidence. But now, we've got the "unhinged" perp driving an RV into an area that's difficult to navigate through-- for a massive event, AND the area is not surveillance-friendly. Plus, we're talking about being in the "free camp" with no reservations needed for vehicle. And there are thousands upon thousands of people who all have the same access to the scene that the murderer had, thus making it extremely difficult to ID said murderer. And when does the murder happen? Right at the culminating moment of the entire event, the burning, when there's undoubtedly maximum chaos.

If LE don't have a suspect in custody relatively soon, I'm going to become increasingly suspicious of this "unhinged" scenario. I don't see how this individual was unhinged enough to murder, but NOT so unhinged that perp trotted out of there this unnoticed. But I'm seeing LE had hundreds of tips and several leads, so maybe they will have the suspect soon. And also seeing you need a ticket for burning man, and a vehicle pass. Is this correct, I'm seeing the ticket price is $550?? And that's not including the vehicle pass cost. So jmo, they'll get this person, but the longer it takes, the more I'm going to wonder on the "unhinged" aspect of this. And in the event this goes cold-- it was anything but unhinged, jmo.

 

[FluffyDove]

Since it was the "free camp" area, cell phone coverage and surveillance cameras were lacking, I would collect all the surveillance videos from the areas surrounding the event from their starting point onwards, I would get a list of the reservations for RVs and people and then cross check them with RVs and people coming/leaving the area to figure out which of those would be in the free camp section. The RV and person being or the murder happening in the free camp section does not necessarily mean the person did not have a reservation, maybe they had but parked in the free camp section to throw investigators off. But I would still want to check. Also, I would collect cell site location data for all phones in the area as well as the surrounding area for after the murder and the end of the festival respectively to eliminate the people who are not obviously the murderers and whose whereabouts are accounted for during the murder. It is tedious, but would definitely help along with witness statements etc.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Since it was the "free camp" area, cell phone coverage and surveillance cameras were lacking, I would collect all the surveillance videos from the areas surrounding the event from their starting point onwards, I would get a list of the reservations for RVs and people and then cross check them with RVs and people coming/leaving the area to figure out which of those would be in the free camp section. The RV and person being or the murder happening in the free camp section does not necessarily mean the person did not have a reservation, maybe they had but parked in the free camp section to throw investigators off. But I would still want to check. Also, I would collect cell site location data for all phones in the area as well as the surrounding area for after the murder and the end of the festival respectively to eliminate the people who are not obviously the murderers and whose whereabouts are accounted for during the murder. It is tedious, but would definitely help along with witness statements etc.

There is some cell footage online if you look where someone filmed the 'red' tent it's been referred too because of a red curtain and the crime scene (blurred out).

It was a festival goer who filmed/posted and commented. I think it's on social media, might be hard to find but maybe not.

*ETA: I think this was luck that they could get cell reception but maybe they're on Starlink, not sure how they were able to film.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Unsettling:
Because Kruglov's death happened in such a remote location in the desert, cellphone service is nonexistent in most areas, so video and surveillance evidence is not as available as it would be elsewhere, officials said.

Burning Man homicide investigation: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues

As the search continues for the suspect who allegedly murdered a Burning Man participant at the event late last month, officials said they have located the murder weapon.

abcnews.go.com

The kitchen knife as a weapon-- that does jibe with the "unhinged" suspect and the RV. Sort of. If "unhinged" perp was going to wash blood out of the RV, why'd he leave the knife next to his victim's body? Because-- unhinged, so yes, this could work. & maybe the owner of this tent had things set up for cooking, I'm seeing you can build a fire so long as you've got some fireproof container. So maybe this wasn't even the perp's knife. If the knife's free of prints, though, jmo, this isn't "unhinged."

& the lack of surveillance in the area generally is not so in line with "unhinged." Could just be a coincidence. But now, we've got the "unhinged" perp driving an RV into an area that's difficult to navigate through-- for a massive event, AND the area is not surveillance-friendly. Plus, we're talking about being in the "free camp" with no reservations needed for vehicle. And there are thousands upon thousands of people who all have the same access to the scene that the murderer had, thus making it extremely difficult to ID said murderer. And when does the murder happen? Right at the culminating moment of the entire event, the burning, when there's undoubtedly maximum chaos.

If LE don't have a suspect in custody relatively soon, I'm going to become increasingly suspicious of this "unhinged" scenario. I don't see how this individual was unhinged enough to murder, but NOT so unhinged that perp trotted out of there this unnoticed. But I'm seeing LE had hundreds of tips and several leads, so maybe they will have the suspect soon. And also seeing you need a ticket for burning man, and a vehicle pass. Is this correct, I'm seeing the ticket price is $550?? And that's not including the vehicle pass cost. So jmo, they'll get this person, but the longer it takes, the more I'm going to wonder on the "unhinged" aspect of this. And in the event this goes cold-- it was anything but unhinged, jmo.

Good points about knife owner.

Maybe unhinged person had to wash themselves off and not the weapon?

For the festival IIRC every one let into the space (even to those free/out camp areas) needs a ticket that's traceable even if bought via scalped (or whatever they call it nowadays lol, I'm not that old but the lingo changes over the years)! JMO MOO

 

[Cedars]

Unsettling:
Because Kruglov's death happened in such a remote location in the desert, cellphone service is nonexistent in most areas, so video and surveillance evidence is not as available as it would be elsewhere, officials said.

Burning Man homicide investigation: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues

As the search continues for the suspect who allegedly murdered a Burning Man participant at the event late last month, officials said they have located the murder weapon.

abcnews.go.com

The kitchen knife as a weapon-- that does jibe with the "unhinged" suspect and the RV. Sort of. If "unhinged" perp was going to wash blood out of the RV, why'd he leave the knife next to his victim's body? Because-- unhinged, so yes, this could work. & maybe the owner of this tent had things set up for cooking, I'm seeing you can build a fire so long as you've got some fireproof container. So maybe this wasn't even the perp's knife. If the knife's free of prints, though, jmo, this isn't "unhinged."

& the lack of surveillance in the area generally is not so in line with "unhinged." Could just be a coincidence. But now, we've got the "unhinged" perp driving an RV into an area that's difficult to navigate through-- for a massive event, AND the area is not surveillance-friendly. Plus, we're talking about being in the "free camp" with no reservations needed for vehicle. And there are thousands upon thousands of people who all have the same access to the scene that the murderer had, thus making it extremely difficult to ID said murderer. And when does the murder happen? Right at the culminating moment of the entire event, the burning, when there's undoubtedly maximum chaos.

If LE don't have a suspect in custody relatively soon, I'm going to become increasingly suspicious of this "unhinged" scenario. I don't see how this individual was unhinged enough to murder, but NOT so unhinged that perp trotted out of there this unnoticed. But I'm seeing LE had hundreds of tips and several leads, so maybe they will have the suspect soon. And also seeing you need a ticket for burning man, and a vehicle pass. Is this correct, I'm seeing the ticket price is $550?? And that's not including the vehicle pass cost. So jmo, they'll get this person, but the longer it takes, the more I'm going to wonder on the "unhinged" aspect of this. And in the event this goes cold-- it was anything but unhinged, jmo.

Sorry if I haven't read closely enough, but have police stated there is evidence the victim's body was moved after death? Where does the idea of blood in an RV come from?

 

[opt]

To clear up some incorrect information:

You need a vehicle pass to get in with a vehicle. Period. There is no pass-free or ticket-free area. Most camps have reserved space from the BM org. Those camps require you to be registered with them in advance or they won't let you park your vehicle there. Other areas are free to use, first come first served.

Cell service is much better these days with Starlink-enabled base stations. I expect that phone service would be pretty good. Years ago the network would saturate with users after 7 AM.

Yes, it's expensive to attend. About $2000 for 2 people and a vehicle, plus all your equipment and weeks of organization and preparation. The killer is not a derelict.

The timing of the killing when 95% of people are a mile away at the Man suggests (does not prove) premeditation.

 

[Inthedetails]

.The killer is not a derelict.

snipped

Hopefully ticket-holder lists are being scrutinized, but just want to point out that "unhinged" describes behavior and mental state, not finances. We might have a suspect who can afford to attend the festival but is also unhinged (whether all the time or while under influence at a festival, we don't know).


jmopinion

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Sorry if I haven't read closely enough, but have police stated there is evidence the victim's body was moved after death? Where does the idea of blood in an RV come from?

I must've missed the part about his body being moved after death? Is this true? If so, maybe the crime happened in the tent, killer dragged him out of the tent so he'd be seen/noticed?

If that's the case I wonder if he bolted to get away from the crowd/escape undetected or was a bystander who watched the police and chaos unfold? Depends if killer was mentally unstable or someone who wanted to experience this all.

Re: the RV - take it as you will as it's the Daily Mail and not exactly reputable however I have heard this info on other sites online from other festival goers about the man and the RV. MOO JMO:

Festival goers, many who are involved in Burning Man chat groups specific to their hometowns, have detailed run-ins with an 'unhinged man' the same night of the homicide. The 'burners' said the unidentified man claimed he had a knife and had to clean his RV of blood.

Heartbroken father of Burning Man murder victim pleads for 'justice'

The father of a Russian native who was found dead at the Burning Man festival demands 'justice'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[sunspun]

If numerous attendees had some run-in with this person, who spoke of blood in his RV, then of course, they must have a decent description of him. Have they released any identifying details yet? Seems like that's something they'd want to get out to the public asap. Maybe they still have many interviews to do...

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I don't attend BM but I do follow it to an extent (I often watch the actual burn via their livestream) since I live relatively nearby and along the route Burners take to get there.

And I recall hearing that on the evening of the Man Burn, immediately following the burn IIRC, the wait to leave the playa via vehicle was something like TWELVE HOURS. So unless the killer left by foot (or by plane, I suppose), he was still around for the night at least.

MOO

 

[sapphire blue]

There is some cell footage online if you look where someone filmed the 'red' tent it's been referred too because of a red curtain and the crime scene (blurred out).

It was a festival goer who filmed/posted and commented. I think it's on social media, might be hard to find but maybe not.

*ETA: I think this was luck that they could get cell reception but maybe they're on Starlink, not sure how they were able to film.

You don’t need cell reception to take pictures or video, only to send them

 

[Lalalacasbah]

I don't attend BM but I do follow it to an extent (I often watch the actual burn via their livestream) since I live relatively nearby and along the route Burners take to get there.

And I recall hearing that on the evening of the Man Burn, immediately following the burn IIRC, the wait to leave the playa via vehicle was something like TWELVE HOURS. So unless the killer left by foot (or by plane, I suppose), he was still around for the night at least.

MOO

Oh interesting!.That's really good to know, I can't believe it takes that long to exit. I would definitely get claustrophobic!

That is a good thing in this case as then maybe the killer was lingering around and some more witnesses or info will come about it.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

You don’t need cell reception to take pictures or video, only to send them

Oh ya true, I was thinking the person uploaded from there but of course they likely did it after as they commented/edited, etc. Bad me! Or should I say duh me lol

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Oh interesting!.That's really good to know, I can't believe it takes that long to exit. I would definitely get claustrophobic!

That is a good thing in this case as then maybe the killer was lingering around and some more witnesses or info will come about it.

I think I would feel claustrophobic as well, even though it seems counterintuitive to feel that way in such a wide open space. Here is a visual to help us imagine.

This photo is not from from this year, it's from a 2022 article in the Sacramento Bee (hmm I thought they cancelled in 2021-2022 due to covid, but maybe I got the years wrong). link to photo: https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article265387926.html

 

[opt]

I have spent up to 9 hours getting to pavement. It's not claustrophobic. It's boring AF. And at some point you will need a bathroom but there aren't any.

To save fuel they stop traffic until a gap of several hundred yards opens, then everyone advances and then stops again. So you can nap as long as you don't miss the move when it occurs.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I have spent up to 9 hours getting to pavement. It's not claustrophobic. It's boring AF. And at some point you will need a bathroom but there aren't any.

To save fuel they stop traffic until a gap of several hundred yards opens, then everyone advances and then stops again. So you can nap as long as you don't miss the move when it occurs.

I think I would feel claustrophobic to know I can't move forward, backwards, or sideways. Not everyone would feel that way but I sure would.

I'm also surprised they don't put a portapotty every half mile or so along the Exodus route to pavement. I know the RVs are pretty self-contained but lots of folks travel in just a car with no privacy..

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Wow I had no idea about the insane amount of hours to leave, thanks @Auntie Cipation and @opt for the context, visuals and description!

Can't imagine having no bathroom... that's nuts. I commend people for being that dedicated to attend, don't think I could do it.

I would def feel claustrophobic... Reminds me of my commuting days into Vancouver (Canada) in gridlock traffic and going over the Port Mann bridge, same thing you mentioned Auntie Cipation - can't move forwrad, backward or really leave the car. I felt trapped and in a weird way vulnerable! JMO

Creepy thought to think the killer was amongst people around so close all those hours wanting to leave. I wonder if LE will look at dashcam footage for anything during the exodus?

 

[Lalalacasbah]

I don't think this was clarified on this thread yet, but the knife was next to his body. So not stashed somewhere, tossed upon fleeing or hidden it sounds like.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office described the scene as particularly disturbing, with a green kitchen knife found next to Kruglov’s body.

Burning Man Festival Death: Authorities Release Key Evidence in Vadim Kruglov Homicide - USA Herald

Weeks after a man was found dead during the height of the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, investigators have released new evidence they believe could help identify the killer. The shocking death of Vadim Kruglov, 37, a Russian national living in Washington state, has cast a...

usaherald.com