A ‘true hero of Burning Man’ who was found dead at the infamous festival in the Black Rock Desert last week was identified by officials as Russian national Vadim Kruglov.
The ‘burner’ was identified after his body was found at about 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 30 during the festival’s climax when the wooden ‘Man’ effigy began to burn in the northwestern Nevada desert, Pershing County Sheriff said.
‘His family has been notified,’ according to the Nevada Bureau of Land Management.
Washoe County Nevada Regional Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Wednesday night that Kruglov was pronounced dead at the scene. Medical Examiner officials, however, but did not provide a cause of manner of death ‘pending further investigation.’
Kruglov’s friends called him a ‘true hero of Burning Man’ and are working with his family to bring his body back to his hometown of Omsk.
‘He pored his soul into our community: building the camp, creating an art installation, always ready to help others and being kind and responsive to everyone,’ said one of his friends, Sofiia Shcherbakova on her Instagram.
Vadim Kruglov, 37, has been identified as the homicide victim who was found in a pool of blood at the annual Burning Man festival at Black Rock, Nevada
Kruglov was living in Tacoma, Washington but his friends are making arrangements to transport his remains to his hometown of Omsk
After Kruglov’s body was found, a fellow Burning Man participant flagged down a deputy.
His body was in a pool of blood in the outer area of the campsite at intersection of 8:30 and I streets.
Sheriff’s detectives quickly called the incident a homicide and initially asked the public on Aug. 31 for help to identify the remains.
‘Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances,’ said Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen in a press release on Aug. 31.
The two-week festival ended on Monday.
Kruglov, who was resident in Tacoma, Wash., was reported missing by his friends on Saturday.
They have set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds to transfer his remains back to Omsk.
‘Our hearts go out to Vadim’s family and friends and we grieve the loss of a community member,’ Burning Man event organizers told the Daily Mail in a statement.
‘Burning Man Project is doing everything we can to assist the Sheriff’s investigation so the perpetrator can be caught and brought to justice. This includes our intent for a coordinated donation to the Secret Witness program, which offers rewards for more information that contributes to law enforcement’s investigation.’
Sheriff’s officials said Kruglov was possibly killed during the ceremonial burning of the ‘Man’ at around 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 30
This year’s Burning Man participants had to battle through gale-force winds and rain
Sheriff’s officials have yet to provide further details on the cause of Kruglov’s mysterious death.
The festival, which celebrates the spirit of counterculture and art, has drawn 70,000 to 80,000 to the Black Rock desert in northwestern Nevada annually.
In recent years, the counterculture festival has received criticism for turning its back on its anarchist principles and has become an event that attracts tech bros, millionaires and models.
Burning Man organizers have beefed up law enforcement presence and medical resources in recent years as many festival goers suffer from dehydration and desert exposure.
Attendees also commonly use drugs and alcohol, which can further contribute to injuries and medical emergencies.
Burning Man participants who spoke to the Daily Mail said the area if the festival where Kruglov’s body was discovered is known as “free camp” where individuals don’t need reservations for their vehicles or RV.
Burners who have not prepaid or reserved an area for their vehicle usually pitch their individual tents at this area, which is less organized than the other more crowded camps closer to the “Man” structure.
Podcaster and model Drea Renee, who also attended the festival, said she rode her bicycle through the free camp area on Saturday at night to look for a friend.
’So, it really did feel eerie over there because there weren’t many lights,’ Renee said. ’It’s like a whole other world. Placement [of where you camp] does matter in Burning Man, and the more busy and active camps are closer to the center.
Drea Renee, who host the podcast Hey Babe, Can We Talk, said she passed by the area where Vadim Kruglov was found dead on Saturday
The dust storm destroyed some camp sites and structures the first week of this year’s Burning Man
‘The free camp area, for some reason when I went by there that night, there was just no lights on. There weren’t a lot of people there. I was riding around, and it just didn’t feel right so I said, “Okay, I’m getting out of here!’”
Renee said as she tried to double back the same way she came, security officials told her she couldn’t pass by the free camp area again.
’They actually flagged me down and told me that area was blocked off and I would have to go around. They told me something happened and everyone around was looking very serious. I asked, “Sir, can I just go through?” And he just said, “No, absolutely not. No one can go through there.” I didn’t realize what had already happened.’
This year’s festival has been plagued with several mishaps, including severe gale-force winds that reached 60 to 70 mph and rain last week.
The rain turned the desert playa into muddy clay, and festival organizers were forced to close the gates on thousands of burners, some who were stuck on the road more than 15 to 20 hours.
San Francisco resident Rachael Gingery fell 20 feet from an art exhibit and fractured her spine.
Gingery had fallen from an ‘art car,’ which killed a 29-year-old woman in 2014 and another person in 2003.
Gingery was left with a broken back, broken ribs, a bruised spleen and a punctured lung.
Kayla Thompson, 37, and her husband, Kasey Thompson, 39, were attending their first Burning Man festival last week when she went into unexpected labor.
Kayla said she was unaware that she was pregnant when she and Kasey ventured to the arts festival from Salt Lake City, Utah.
She woke up in severe pain on July 27 and initially thought the pain was caused by something she ate, or even appendicitis.
Moments later, however, she was in active labor. She gave birth to a three-pound, nine-ounce girl in the cramped bathroom of the camper with the help of a nurse.
Maureen O’Reilly, a registered nurse with a background in neonatal critical care, rushed to the Thompsons’ RV just as he baby’s umbilical cord was being cut.
O’Reilly, 61, yelled for blankets and the heat to be turned on as she placed the premature infant on her stomach in a bid to keep her warm.
‘It was just so frightening how you know we’re in the middle of nowhere with nothing,’ the nurse said to ABC San Francisco affiliate KGO.
