James Mendola, a 41-year-old Caucasian man believed to be homeless, was found severely beaten and fatally wounded in the head in a brushy area near U.S. Highway 95 and Desert Inn Road in Las Vegas in the late afternoon of August 14, 2009. Authorities think he may have been camping on the highway shoulder when the assault occurred; passers-by discovered the body and alerted police.

Mendola’s death was one of several homicides involving homeless people in Las Vegas around that time, which heightened fear in the community. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department appealed for public help, but no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. The case remains an unresolved cold case in Clark County.

If anyone has information about Mendola’s activities or who might have been in that area on August 14, 2009, please come forward.