A SUSPECTED murder victim found in a pool of blood at the Burning Man festival has been identified as a 37-year-old Russian.
Vadim Kruglov was inside the festival grounds in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
A 37-year-old Russian, Vadim Kruglov, was allegedly found murdered at Burning Man festival
Police are investigating, and funds are being raised to return his body to Omsk
On Wednesday, organisers confirmed his identity and said they were working with the Pershing County sheriff’s office, which is leading the investigation.
In a statement, Burning Man said: “Our hearts go out to Vadim’s family and friends, and we grieve the loss of a community member.
“Burning Man Project is doing everything we can to assist the sheriff’s investigation so the perpetrator can be caught and brought to justice.”
The festival added that it was donating to a programme allowing witnesses to share information anonymously and urged anyone with knowledge to come forward.
Friends said Kruglov had been missing for four days before his body was found.
His pal Sofiia Shcherbakova wrote on Instagram: “His tent and belongings were left at camp, but he never returned.”
She later confirmed his death, calling him a “true hero of Burning Man”.
“He poured his soul into our community: building the camp, creating an art installation, always ready to help others, and being kind and responsive to everyone,” she wrote.
“His energy and contribution will forever remain part of the Burn’s history.”
In a follow-up post, Shcherbakova said she was raising funds to bring his body back to his hometown of Omsk, Siberia.
“Now we want to honour his memory and support his family,” she said.
“We are raising funds to bring him home to Omsk, so that his parents can say their last goodbye and lay him to rest with his loved ones.”
As of Thursday, the GoFundMe had collected $4,063 of its $15,000 goal.
The sheriff’s office has condemned the killing, calling for information that could lead to the arrest of “any person who would commit such a heinous crime against another human being”.
They have so far declined to release further details about how Kruglov died.
Burning Man — famous for its giant effigies, art installations and eccentric camps — attracts tens of thousands of revellers every year, including tech billionaires and celebrities.
About 70,000 people from 102 countries attended this year’s gathering.
The festival was already rocked last week by intense dust storms that left some attendees injured.
It also saw the shock birth of a baby in an RV after a woman who did not know she was pregnant went into labour on site.
Burning Man is famous for its giant effigies, art installations and eccentric camps
Tens of thousands of festivalgoers attend the event every year 
