As Las Vegas became more sophisticated, however, so did the manner of celebrating Helldorado Days. By the early 1960s, Queho’s remains were no longer an asset for the Elks. Early one January morning in 1962, the Clark County Sheriff’s Department received a call from the caretaker at the county dump, reporting that a body had been found there. Captain Witty, then commanding the homicide bureau, responded to the call. He soon learned that instead of having a murder case on his hands, he had a ‘found mummy’ case. It seems that the Elks Lodge, having tired of the display and not wishing to become involved in the legal complications of body disposal, had taken old Queho to the dump.

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The sheriff’s department decided to permanently end their longtime involvement with Queho, and on an order from the county coroner, Queho’s corpse was buried in an unmarked grave in the public portion of the local cemetery. And so the Clark County Sheriff’s Department has seen the last of Queho, the Indian who became the killer hermit of El Dorado Canyon. Or has it? Some of the old-timers are betting he’ll pop up again.

This article was written by Allen P. Bristow and originally appeared in Wild West. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Wild West magazine today!

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