Friends mourn Burning Man devotee who hanged himself BURNING MAN

Undated picture of Jermaine "Jerm" Barley. The 22-year-old hung himself to death at the Burning Man Festival two weeks ago. His friends put up this picture as part of a tribute page to him on myspace.com. MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/NO SALES-MAGS OUT less Undated picture of Jermaine "Jerm" Barley. The 22-year-old hung himself to death at the Burning Man Festival two weeks ago. His friends put up this picture as part of a tribute page to him on myspace.com. ... more Photo: Handout Photo: Handout Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Friends mourn Burning Man devotee who hanged himself 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A memorial service was held Monday for Jermaine "Jerm" Barley outside Tulsa, Okla., nearly two weeks after the 22-year-old man was found hanging inside a tent at the Burning Man festival.

Barley, who was a six-time attendee of Burning Man and went by the DJ name Optic Orange, drove to the event with four friends from Fort Collins, Colo.

Relatives told investigators that Barley had been distraught recently, but they didn't think he would harm himself, said Pershing County (Nev.) Sheriff Ron Skinner. A toxicology report is due in three weeks to determine whether Barley was under the influence of drugs, Skinner said.

The suicide marked a particularly busy year for Skinner and law enforcement officers who oversee the event in the desert north of Reno. The Black Rock City population soared to 47,366 participants this year, up more than 8,000 from 2006, and with it came a spike in thefts, Skinner said.

The population surge, coupled with a high percentage of first-timers - who, according to Skinner, "aren't indoctrinated into the way it works out here" - led to a rise in larceny calls, with officers responding to at least 10 cases where RVs were looted of cash, credit cards and electronic goods.

Even though Skinner has yet to compile official numbers, he said, "We were overwhelmed with work this year."

Eight people were arrested at the eight-day event, Skinner said.

Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that deputies were inundated with calls reporting sexual assaults, the sheriff said. Deputies are investigating 11 alleged sexual assaults but have made no arrests, largely because of the difficulty of investigating crimes at Burning Man, Skinner said.

"In an urban environment, you can drive up to a suspect's address or workplace to interview him," Skinner said. "Out here, even if you know where a suspect is camping, he may never return to his tent, and may just leave the playa altogether."

The sheriff said he'll work to see that more deputies patrol next year's festival. "The victims out here have a right to a good, strong investigation," Skinner said. "And that's going to take more manpower."

The suicide came as a shock to Barley's friends in the college town of Fort Collins, said his former roommate, Joe Harrington, 23.

Harrington said Barley was a well-known Burning Man devotee who often tried to persuade friends to join him on the annual trek to Nevada.

"If he wasn't spinning records, or talking about girls, he was talking about Burning Man," Harrington said. "He loved everything about the place: the art, the freedom of expression, that it was a place to go be yourself and not worry about anything."

Erica Paschold, 23, who also lived with Barley in Fort Collins, said he'd purchased a discounted "scholarship ticket" to the event for $150 not long after tickets went on sale. Barley had moved from El Paso, Texas, and juggled a variety of small jobs, including working at a florist, a Mexican restaurant and a print shop, Paschold said.

When people asked the aspiring DJ and collage artist what he did for a living, he responded, "I make music and art."

"His mission wasn't to live in this society and have a job and all that," Paschold said. "His mission here was to teach us how to get more in touch with our emotions, to show us love is open and free-flowing."

Skinner, whose agency conducted the investigation, said Barley's friends at the event had been unaware of the suicide. After Barley went missing Aug. 29, friends checked the medical tents and left messages for him at the community bulletin board. When they didn't hear from him, they hoped he'd met up with new friends and forgotten to check in. It wasn't until they returned to Colorado that they learned of his death.

Skinner said it appeared Barley picked the Comfort and Joy tent at random to hang himself in and didn't know anyone there.

Investigators interviewed three people who entered the tent as Barley's body was hanging but didn't think it was real.

"Because of the surreal atmosphere at Burning Man, I can see why people wouldn't think it was real," Skinner said. "You see some bizarre things here, and it just didn't stand out."

In Fort Collins, Harrington and Paschold said friends have discussed returning to the event next year and hosting a theme camp in Barley's honor.

"We're all going to be pondering this for a long time," Harrington said. "He loved that place."

Sound off: Have something to say about this story? Call (415) 777-6268 to comment for an Open Mic podcast on sfgate.com.

-- Sound off: Have something to say about this story? Call (415) 777-6268 to comment for an Open Mic podcast on sfgate.com.