A review of the death three years ago of a man who had registered at the Nevada Legislature as a lobbyist for space aliens has resulted in no change in an initial conclusion that he died of exposure.
Capt. Jeff Page of the Lyon County sheriff's office in Yerington said Friday that the state Division of Investigation recently went over the case of David Solomon at the request of Solomon's family and an unnamed legislator "and came to the same conclusion that we did."
Solomon's decomposing body was found along the Carson River, near brothels in the Mound House area, in July 2001. He had been dead for about a month. There were no signs of trauma.
Solomon's car was missing and later was found abandoned at a Carson City auto shop. Investigators said it's likely another transient drove off in the car and didn't notice Solomon's body, which was down a hillside in brush 150 feet from the vehicle.
A complete crime scene search of the car came up empty-handed. Money and other items were found in the clothing that Solomon was wearing when he walked away from the car, authorities said.
Officers said at the time of Solomon's death that his mother stated he was starving himself. Numerous articles about toxic food were found in an office that Solomon kept in Carson City.
Solomon was known as Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II and was a familiar figure at the Nevada Legislature between 1995 and 1999, when he registered as a lobbyist for the Embassy of the Avalon Saucerians. He campaigned for Nevada's "Extraterrestrial Highway."
Merlin was barred from the Legislature after a female janitor said he exposed himself to her in a restroom. But former Assemblyman Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, a friend of Merlin's, said the incident was blown out of proportion. Price said Merlin went into the bathroom when a cleaning sign was posted, but when he didn't see anyone in the bathroom he used the facilities.