Stepdaughter Says She Feels Relief After Her Abusive Stepfather Is Identified as Lake Mead Barrel Murder Victim

For decades, Sundae Schor lived with painful memories of her childhood and uncertainty about what had happened to her stepfather. Now, the discovery of his identity in a decades-old murder investigation has brought her an unexpected sense of relief.

Edward Lelburian “Buddy” Jackson was identified in October 2026 as the man whose remains were discovered inside a rusted barrel at Lake Mead in Nevada in May 2022. Investigators believe he was shot in the head and murdered in the early 1980s, although the circumstances surrounding his death remain unresolved.

Schor, now 77, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Jackson had sexually abused her when she was a child. She described years of fear and said learning of his death brought a sense of closure after decades of wondering whether he might return.

A Childhood Marked by Fear

According to Schor, Jackson entered her life when she was about three years old after marrying her mother, Mauna Ross. The family lived in Long Beach, California, during much of the 1950s and 1960s.

Schor alleged that the abuse began when she was around five or six and continued until she was approximately 15. She said Jackson threatened her with the possibility that her family would be torn apart if she revealed what was happening.

Afraid of the consequences, she kept the abuse secret for years. She later explained that the experience affected her relationships and continued to shape her sense of security long into adulthood.

Jackson reportedly left the family around 1969. Schor saw him only a handful of times afterward, including at her second wedding in Sacramento in 1974.

She said the uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts remained difficult to escape. For years, she occasionally searched his name online, hoping to discover whether he had died.

Remains Found Inside a Barrel at Lake Mead

The case first came to public attention on May 1, 2022, when human remains were discovered inside a barrel near Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The discovery prompted a homicide investigation. Authorities determined that the victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, but identifying him proved difficult.

Investigators used forensic techniques, facial reconstructions and genetic genealogy to establish his identity. In October 2026, the Clark County coroner’s office confirmed that the remains belonged to Jackson.

Police believe he was in his mid-to-late 50s when he died. However, the precise date of the killing and the identity of the person responsible remain unknown.

The case has drawn speculation about possible connections to organized crime because of the way the body was concealed. Authorities have said they have not found evidence establishing such a connection, and investigators continue to seek information about the homicide.

Questions Remain About His Final Years

Schor has questioned the timeline suggested by investigators. She believes Jackson may have still been alive in 1987, when a relative reportedly mentioned that he intended to attend her grandmother’s funeral.

She has also said the clothes recovered with his remains differed from the more flamboyant style she remembered him wearing. Those discrepancies have left her with questions about his life after he abandoned the family.

Schor has begun making her own inquiries into his background and final years, reconnecting with people who knew him. She told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that police had not contacted her about the homicide.

Although the identification has answered one longstanding question, it has not explained who killed Jackson or why his body ended up in Lake Mead.

For Schor, however, the news has brought an end to one particular fear: the possibility that the man she said abused her might someday reappear.

The investigation remains open, and authorities are still seeking information that could help solve the decades-old murder.

Sources: Daily Mail