Las Vegas man arrested after hosting deadly pool party, police say
A Las Vegas man was charged with two misdemeanor crimes last month after police said he hosted an illegal party at his home where an attendee was later found dead.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, Lazaro Cesar was arrested June 18 and was charged with operating as a professional promoter without a valid license and engaging in business without a promoter license, both misdemeanors, following a party he hosted the day before at a home on Palma Vista Avenue.
On the same day as Cesar’s arrest, TayShaun Todd, 20, of Las Vegas, was found dead in a swimming pool outside the home.
The Metropolitan Police Department discovered Todd’s body in the swimming pool at 12:31 p.m. June 18 at a home in the 2600 block of Palma Vista Avenue. In a statement that day, police called the death a “possible drowning.”
According to police records, Metro also was called to the residence the evening of June 17 because of a party at the home.
The Clark County coroner’s office said Todd’s body had been in the pool for at least 12 hours, according to his mother, Cristina Todd-Dunn.
A spokeswoman for the coroner said Wednesday that the cause and manner of Todd’s death were pending.
In an interview with police, according to the report, Cesar admitted that he hosted a pool party and that police arrived to “stop the party” at about 10 p.m. on June 17.
Cesar said he found Todd’s body in the pool at about 11 a.m. on June 18.
In an interview with an unnamed party attendee, police were told that tickets for the “open bar pool party” were being sold for $15 each.
Todd-Dunn sent a written statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday, which read, in part, that she is aware of the charges levied against Cesar.
“While no action can bring (TayShaun) back, I am grateful that there is movement toward accountability,” the statement read. “My heart is still broken. TayShaun was a kind, bright, and respectful young man who had his whole life ahead of him. I continue to mourn his loss every day.”
Court records show that Cesar was released on his own recognizance on June 18 and that he is scheduled for a status check hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court on Aug. 20.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
