U.S. News

Man Died at Burning Man From Suspected Drug Intoxication, Coroner Says

PRELIMINARY RESULTS

32-year-old Leon Reece was found unresponsive on Friday night while the festival was experiencing heavy rains.

A satellite view shows a close up of tents during the 2023 Burning Man festival, in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, U.S., August 27, 2023.
Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters

While not yet official, the coroner on Tuesday released its preliminary findings on the death of 32-year-old Leon Reece, the festival attendee who died at Burning Man in the Nevada desert last Friday. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office said it suspected drug intoxication was behind the 32-year-old’s death, after he was discovered unresponsive just as the festival was experiencing dangerous heavy rains. The weather event delayed efforts to send help, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said. According to the New York Post, the official toxicology results could take six to eight months to process. The investigation is ongoing.

Read it at The New York Post