The Mystery Death of Edgar Deems
By Staff Reporter | June 14, 1990 | Nevada Valley Gazette
Perfection, NV
Residents of the tiny desert community of Perfection were left shaken this week after the body of local man Edgar Deems, 54, was discovered perched atop the town’s water tower, dead from what authorities are struggling to explain. The discovery was made by two local ranch hands who had grown concerned after not seeing Deems around town for several days.
Valentine McKee and Earl Bassett, who work the surrounding ranchlands, noticed Deems’ truck parked near the base of the tower and climbed up to investigate. What they found at the top stunned them Deems, seated and stiff, apparently dead for some time, with no visible signs of a struggle and no obvious cause of death.
“He was just sitting up there,” said McKee, still visibly shaken. “Dried out. Like he’d been there for days. We don’t know what in the hell would make a man climb up that tower and just… stay.”
Medical examiners have confirmed the death but have declined to release a cause pending further investigation. What has puzzled both authorities and locals alike is the most pressing question of all why was he up there?
“Edgar was a quiet man, kept to himself mostly,” said one Perfection resident who asked not to be named. “But he wasn’t crazy. If he climbed that tower, something made him climb it.”
Sheriff’s deputies from the county have launched a preliminary investigation, though resources in the remote valley are limited. No foul play has been officially confirmed, but investigators have not ruled it out. The surrounding desert terrain has yielded no clues, and the isolation of Perfection a community of barely a dozen residents, has made the case all the more difficult to crack.
“We’re looking at every possibility,” said Deputy County Sheriff Roger Garrett. “Heat exposure, a medical episode, a mental break. But nothing we’ve seen so far explains why a man would climb a water tower and never come back down.”
Deems leaves behind no immediate family. His truck remains impounded as part of the ongoing investigation. Locals say the mood in Perfection has shifted considerably since the discovery.
“You start asking why Edgar went up there,” said Bassett, “and you realize pretty quick that nobody’s got an answer. And that’s the part that scares you.”
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding Edgar Deems’ final movements to contact the county sheriff’s office.
Filed under: Reel Horror News “When the blood hits the headlines.”
👁️🗨️ Based on Tremors (1990)