Las Vegas police confirm ID of suspect in sleeping bag homicide

Las Vegas police confirmed the identity of the suspect arrested in connection with a body found dumped in the desert on Friday in the east valley.

Officers arrested 19-year-old Michael Miller on Tuesday and booked him into the Clark County Detention Center, where he faces one count of murder in connection with the homicide.

Police released a mug shot of Michael Miller showing facial disfigurement. Robert Miller, Michael Miller’s uncle, said that his nephew was injured in a fire when he was a young child. The fire also killed his 4-year-old cousin.

He said the fire left Michael Miller severely burned and disabled, forcing him to use a wheelchair.

The Review-Journal reported on an apartment fire in July 2003 that left then-3-year-old Michael Miller severely burned and killed a 4-year-old girl. The Las Vegas Fire Department said at the time that the fire had been accidentally sparked by kids playing with a cigarette lighter.

On Friday, Red Rock Search & Rescue found the body of 47-year-old Raul Salazar wrapped in a sleeping bag in a desert area off Lake Mead Boulevard, near Pablo Road. The team was searching for a missing person in the area, police said.

Robert Miller said his nephew spent part of his childhood homeless on the west side of the valley. He said he’d never heard Michael Miller mention Salazar’s name, and that Salazar didn’t fit the description of any of Michael Miller’s friends that he knew.

The Clark County coroner’s office said Salazar died from multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide.

Miller remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center, where he is held without bail. His next court date is scheduled for Friday.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.