Woman Expresses Relief After Stepfather, Accused of Abuse, Identified as Lake Mead Barrel Victim
The remains of Edward Lelburian Jackson, who allegedly abused his stepdaughter for years, were discovered in Lake Mead in 2022.
A woman has expressed profound relief following the identification of her stepfather, Edward Lelburian 'Buddy' Jackson, as the victim whose body was found encased in a barrel in Lake Mead. Jackson's remains, discovered in May 2022, were confirmed this month as belonging to a man investigators believe was murdered in the early 1980s. His stepdaughter, Sundae Schor, now 77, stated that she is "delighted" by the news of his death, describing Jackson as a "vile pedophile" who sexually abused her for nearly a decade.
Schor recounted that the abuse began when she was five years old and continued until she was 15. She alleges that Jackson manipulated her into silence by threatening that her mother would go to jail and she and her siblings would be placed in foster care. Jackson, who Schor described as an egotistical bully with "mobbish" friends, abandoned his family in 1969. Schor last saw him in 1974 when he uninvited himself to her wedding.
For years, Schor lived with the fear that Jackson might reappear. She admitted to searching for his name online every few years to see if he had been murdered. The confirmation of his death brought an end to her lifelong anxiety. "I've been waiting to hear this news my whole life, ever since I was hiding in my closet from the guy who would come and find me in the closet and rape me," she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Jackson's body was discovered by boaters in Lake Mead, near Las Vegas, Nevada. Investigators used DNA and forensic genealogy to identify the victim, who was in his mid-50s at the time of his death. The barrel containing his remains washed ashore in Hemenway Harbor.
Jackson, originally from Arkansas, lived in California with his wife, Mauna Ross, and her three children during the 1950s and 60s before abandoning them in 1969. He had a brief criminal history in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the early 1980s, including charges of aggravated arson and conspiracy to commit fraud. His family reportedly never filed a missing person report, as he was known to travel frequently.
Investigators are now seeking information to solve Jackson's killing and have offered a $10,000 reward for details leading to an arrest and conviction. The circumstances of his death have drawn parallels to mob killings, given the method of disposal and Las Vegas's history with organized crime. While no direct link to the mob has been established, investigators have not ruled out such a connection.
Several sets of human remains have been discovered in Lake Mead since 2022 due to receding water levels, prompting investigations into cold cases. These discoveries have highlighted the reservoir's role as a repository for remains over several decades. 
