BLACK ROCK CITY, NV – Authorities in Nevada are investigating the death of a 37-year-old man at the Burning Man festival in late August as a homicide after the victim was discovered in a “pool of blood.” As the investigation continues, the victim’s father is speaking out and demanding justice for his son.
On August 30th, a man later identified as 37-year-old Vadim Kruglov was found by Pershing County Sheriff’s deputies “lying in a pool of blood” at a campsite amid the Burning Man festival. Preliminary details shared by authorities noted Kruglov was “obviously deceased” by the time first responders were alerted to the matter after being flagged down by another festivalgoer at the scene.
Igor Kruglov, the victim’s father, issued a statement regarding the investigation, highlighting his son’s passion for treating others with equity and also hoping those responsible for his murder are apprehended.
“I’m proud of my son, now known worldwide,” Igor stated in his native Russian, adding, “He felt injustice deeply and fought for fairness always. I believe a similar situation occurred here. This world is often unfair, but as a peaceful man, I seek justice. I want those responsible to face consequences.”
Authorities haven’t named any possible suspects in the case, nor is there a potential motive for the killing as of this writing, with officials having only determined an approximate time of death along with the victim’s identity. Considering the open-air venue of the Burning Man festival, which attracts tens of thousands of attendees annually, authorities clearly have a complicated investigation on their hands.
During a Fox News interview earlier in September, a forensic scholar commented on the complications associated with the investigation, saying, “The ultimate nightmare scenario… You can't think of this as like a town, you know, where you have gridded streets even, you work an outdoor scene, perhaps you have an address that is a reference point - that doesn't even exist here…You've got this mass of humanity crawling on top of one another in there…Can you imagine how many people have stepped over this area?”
Retired NYPD inspector Paul Marino commented on the aforementioned clip featuring the forensic scholar, agreeing with the notion that this case is particularly unique given the venue being a festival housed in a generally desolate area.
“This is going to be a particularly challenging case when you consider that you're investigating a murder inside of a city that doesn't exist anymore. The whole thing has been broken down. The other real challenge here undeniably is going to be resources for the investigatory agency,” Marino stated, adding, “In this case, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office has caught the case. Now, understand: Burning Man imports 70 to 80,000 people at a time each year for that event. The entire county, without that influx of people, has about 6,600 people year-round.”
Aside from the complications associated with the location of the incident, Marino emphasized the limited law enforcement resources available to the area, stating, “So the sheriff's office probably has personnel maybe into double figures, maybe a dozen, maybe a dozen and a half. The point is they're not going to have a lot of resources to devote to this.”
On August 30th, a man later identified as 37-year-old Vadim Kruglov was found by Pershing County Sheriff’s deputies “lying in a pool of blood” at a campsite amid the Burning Man festival. Preliminary details shared by authorities noted Kruglov was “obviously deceased” by the time first responders were alerted to the matter after being flagged down by another festivalgoer at the scene.
Igor Kruglov, the victim’s father, issued a statement regarding the investigation, highlighting his son’s passion for treating others with equity and also hoping those responsible for his murder are apprehended.
“I’m proud of my son, now known worldwide,” Igor stated in his native Russian, adding, “He felt injustice deeply and fought for fairness always. I believe a similar situation occurred here. This world is often unfair, but as a peaceful man, I seek justice. I want those responsible to face consequences.”
Authorities haven’t named any possible suspects in the case, nor is there a potential motive for the killing as of this writing, with officials having only determined an approximate time of death along with the victim’s identity. Considering the open-air venue of the Burning Man festival, which attracts tens of thousands of attendees annually, authorities clearly have a complicated investigation on their hands.
During a Fox News interview earlier in September, a forensic scholar commented on the complications associated with the investigation, saying, “The ultimate nightmare scenario… You can't think of this as like a town, you know, where you have gridded streets even, you work an outdoor scene, perhaps you have an address that is a reference point - that doesn't even exist here…You've got this mass of humanity crawling on top of one another in there…Can you imagine how many people have stepped over this area?”
Retired NYPD inspector Paul Marino commented on the aforementioned clip featuring the forensic scholar, agreeing with the notion that this case is particularly unique given the venue being a festival housed in a generally desolate area.
“This is going to be a particularly challenging case when you consider that you're investigating a murder inside of a city that doesn't exist anymore. The whole thing has been broken down. The other real challenge here undeniably is going to be resources for the investigatory agency,” Marino stated, adding, “In this case, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office has caught the case. Now, understand: Burning Man imports 70 to 80,000 people at a time each year for that event. The entire county, without that influx of people, has about 6,600 people year-round.”
Aside from the complications associated with the location of the incident, Marino emphasized the limited law enforcement resources available to the area, stating, “So the sheriff's office probably has personnel maybe into double figures, maybe a dozen, maybe a dozen and a half. The point is they're not going to have a lot of resources to devote to this.”
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Comments
2025-09-08T14:41-0400 | Comment by: James
Hey! These people who want the police to "stand down" are the first to cry "help" when they become victims! Those responsible MUST PAY!