Man found dead at Burning Man, sheriff's office says cause 'remains suspicious'

FILE — Burning Man's 2019 live webcam captures the scene on the Playa in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. A man was pronounced dead in the Black Rock Desert Thursday. FILE — Burning Man's 2019 live webcam captures the scene on the Playa in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. A man was pronounced dead in the Black Rock Desert Thursday. Photo: Burning Man Photo: Burning Man Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man found dead at Burning Man, sheriff's office says cause 'remains suspicious' 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A man was found dead in the Black Rock Desert in northwestern Nevada during the annual Burning Man festival on Thursday, according to the Pershing County Sheriff's office.

When deputies arrived, they found the man at a medical tent and doctors had determined he was deceased. The body was transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy.

The cause of death "remains under investigation as suspicious," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The man was identified as Shane Billingham by the sheriff's office.

The Reno Journal Gazette shared an image of memorial at Billingham's Burning Man camp Beats Boutique. The altar is surrounded by tea candles and items he owned.

On Sunday, a fatal collision in Washoe County near the site of the Burning Man festival occurred when a pickup truck drove over the center line and crashed head-on into an RV. The man who died was identified by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office as 61-year-old Lonnie Richey of Carson City

Three people traveling from Burning Man were taken to the hospital Monday after a small plane crashed near the Reno-Stead airport. The plane coming from the annual festival in Black Rock City, crashed just before 5 p.m. The three people involved in the crash were taken to the hospital. One of the people suffered serious injuries in the crash.

This story will be updated as more details become available.

Amy Graff is a digital reporter at SFGATE. Email her at agraff@sfgate.com.