The father of a Russian who was found dead at the Burning Man festival last month has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to order an FBI investigation into his son’s apparent murder, Russian media reported Thursday.
The body of Vadim Kruglov, 37, a native of Omsk in Siberia who had been living in Washington State, was discovered on Aug. 30 in a pool of blood at the desert gathering, which draws some 70,000 people each year. Local law enforcement authorities said his death was being treated as a homicide.
In a video published on Thursday by the pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, Kruglov’s father, Igor, criticized the handling of the investigation by the local sheriff’s office and appealed directly to Trump.
“Evil must be punished, so I’m asking you Mr. President to order the FBI to immediately investigate my son’s murder,” Igor Kruglov said in the video, adding that he was “counting on the FBI’s professionalism.”
Russia’s embassy in Washington said it was in contact with local police. Igor Kruglov told the state-run news agency TASS that his son’s remains were expected to be cremated in the United States and his ashes returned to Russia.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by friends has raised nearly $45,000 needed to cover expenses for returning his remains to his family in Omsk.
The Burning Man Project, which organizes the annual event, and Nevada’s Secret Witness nonprofit have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
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