Homicides in Las Vegas reached a count of 136 last year, eight more than 2014 and the highest since 2006, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “There is not just one cause that we can point to,” said Lt. Dan McGrath, who oversees homicide investigations. “There seems to be a nexus to narcotics and prostitution as a factor in the homicides.” He added another factor, domestic violence, “continues to be an issue and challenge.”
The closure rate was about 80 percent. That means that 108 of the 136 homicides ended in either a suspect arrested, a suspect dead after a murder-suicide situation, or a case of self-defense. McGrath mentioned the death of a boy, 8, who was shot after a neighbor shot and killed his mother. The man then killed himself. “That crime scene and case still bothers me,” he said. “Any time there are innocent children murdered, that gets to the most seasoned investigators.” The total count for homicides this year reflects the average totals in the early 2000s, the highesswt of which was 157 in 2006.