The man who ended up dead at the Burning Man festival has been identified as 32-year-old Leon Reece, the police announced on Monday.
The festival which takes place annually at the grounds of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada descended into chaos when heavy rains washed out the event and left behind a layer of thick mud on the ground making it impossible for the attendees to exit the venue. Currently, thousands of partygoers are stranded, facing an hours-long traffic jam just to make their way out of the event grounds.
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Who was Leon Reece?
Reece was found unresponsive at around 6:24 p.m. Friday as the festival began experiencing heavy rain showers. Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement Monday night that Reece’s cause of death has not yet been determined and an investigation is underway.
Reece’s death appeared unrelated to the weather, authorities have previously said. According to Allen, the stormy conditions delayed efforts to send help. “Pershing County dispatch received a call regarding a male subject who was on the ground and unresponsive at the Burning Man Festival and medical personnel were administering CPR to the male,” Allen said. “Due to the unusual rain event happening on the Playa, access to the area and investigative efforts were delayed. Upon the arrival of Pershing County Sheriff’s Office deputies, the doctor at the festival had already pronounced the male subject, later identified as Leon Reece, a 32-year-old male, deceased.”
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Although authorities interviewed witnesses and medical responders at the scene, they were unable to immediately determine Reece’s cause of death. The victim was transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Due to the mystery around the cause of Reece’s death, speculation went rife on social media about a possible Ebola outbreak at the festival, which was not proven. “In consultation with the Bureau of Land Management and the Burning Man Project, there is no validity to any reports regarding an Ebola outbreak, or any other disease,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, doctors urged revelers to conserve food and water amid the flooding conditions as they remained stuck in the muddy desert for days. Festival-goers risked hypothermia, food-borne illnesses, and COVID-19, amid dire conditions that included stagnant water, porta-potties, and cold weather.