11 Years After Casino Owner’s Son Vanished at Party in Vegas in 1996 — Cleaner Finds This in Room… | HO

Las Vegas, NV — For 11 years, the disappearance of Timothy Blackwood haunted the neon-lit streets and smoky backrooms of Las Vegas. The 19-year-old son of casino magnate Vincent Blackwood vanished without a trace one September night in 1996, after leaving a private party thrown in his honor.

The case went cold, the city moved on, and the Blackwood family was left with only questions. But in March 2007, an unexpected discovery by a hotel cleaner would blow the case wide open—and expose a web of corruption and murder that reached the very heart of Las Vegas power.

A Routine Cleaning, an Unbelievable Discovery

Rosa Martinez had worked as a housekeeper at the Golden Desert Casino Hotel for over two decades. On March 15, 2007, she unlocked room 2847, expecting the usual post–high roller mess. The room seemed ordinary. But as she pushed her vacuum behind a heavy dresser—an area rarely disturbed—her hand brushed against something wedged between the wall and the furniture leg. It was a leather wallet, dusty but intact.

Inside were a Nevada driver’s license issued in 1995 for Timothy Blackwood, a business card for Desert Investments LLC with a handwritten phone number, and a room key card—not for the Golden Desert, but for the Mirage Casino across town. Martinez, who remembered the Blackwood family and the media frenzy surrounding Timothy’s disappearance, immediately alerted her supervisor, who called police.

Detective Frank Morrison, now a senior investigator in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police cold case unit, arrived on scene. Morrison had worked the original Blackwood case as a rookie. Now, as he photographed the wallet and bagged it as evidence, he realized this was the first real lead in over a decade.

A Cold Case Reopened

The wallet’s discovery raised immediate questions. Why had it remained hidden for so long? Who put it there? And how did it connect to Timothy’s last known movements?

Records showed room 2847 was a VIP suite, typically reserved for high-rollers and casino insiders. The hotel could only provide booking records for the previous seven years, but a call to Vincent Blackwood confirmed the room’s significance. When Morrison called the elder Blackwood, the casino owner’s voice trembled. “Detective, I never stopped believing Timothy would be found. If his wallet was in my hotel, someone put it there on purpose.”

Blackwood’s assistant soon confirmed that, in September 1996, room 2847 had been registered to David Preston—the man who had hosted Timothy’s farewell party the night he disappeared. Preston was more than a family friend; he was Blackwood’s business partner, with deep connections to the city’s casino and development worlds.

Piecing Together the Night Timothy Disappeared

The original investigation had focused on the theory of kidnapping for ransom—logical, given the Blackwood family’s wealth. But no ransom demand ever came. Timothy had left the party just before midnight, telling friends he was meeting someone at a casino. His BMW was found three days later at McCarran Airport, his luggage and unused plane ticket still in the trunk. Security footage showed the car arriving at 12:47 a.m., but Timothy was never seen.

The wallet, however, suggested a different story. Alongside Timothy’s ID was a Mirage Hotel key card. Mirage security records, still available from 1996, revealed the card was for room 1205—booked not by Timothy, but by David Preston. The key card’s last use was at 1:17 a.m. on September 15, 1996—the same night Timothy vanished.

A Business Deal, a Motive Emerges

As Morrison dug deeper, a pattern of deception emerged. Preston had never disclosed to police that he’d booked rooms at both the Golden Desert and the Mirage that weekend. Nor had he explained why Timothy would have his Mirage room key. Interviews with staff revealed Preston had been a frequent visitor to the Golden Desert—until the night Timothy disappeared. After that, he was never seen there again.

A review of business records uncovered that, in 1996, Preston was attempting to purchase property adjacent to the Golden Desert for a multimillion-dollar development project. Timothy, working a summer internship in his father’s accounting department, would have had access to sensitive financial records. As Morrison and Blackwood pored over old files, they discovered evidence of large, suspicious payments—disguised as “consulting fees”—to city council members.

The pieces fell into place. Timothy had likely stumbled upon evidence of bribery and corruption. Preston, facing the collapse of his lucrative project and possible criminal charges, had motive, means, and opportunity.

The Confrontation and Confession

With mounting evidence, Morrison confronted Preston, who immediately lawyered up and refused to cooperate. But when forensic analysis revealed Preston’s fingerprints on Timothy’s wallet, and when confronted with the fact that Timothy could not have legally gambled in Nevada at age 19—contradicting Preston’s original statement—Preston cracked.

He confessed to luring Timothy to the Mirage under the guise of a job discussion, confronting him about the discovered bribery. During a heated struggle, Timothy was fatally injured. Preston called a contractor friend, Thomas Wade, to help dispose of the body in the desert northeast of Las Vegas. In the chaos, Preston accidentally kept Timothy’s wallet, hiding it in his Golden Desert hotel room, where it remained undisturbed for over a decade.

A Web of Corruption Unraveled

But the case didn’t end there. Pressed by the threat of a murder charge, Preston revealed a network of corruption involving city officials, casino executives, contractors, and even police officers. The FBI joined the investigation, uncovering millions in bribes and years of rigged development deals. Arrests swept through city hall, the police department, and the casino industry.

Timothy’s body was recovered from a shallow grave in the desert, finally bringing closure to his family. Preston and his co-conspirators were convicted on charges ranging from murder and conspiracy to bribery and racketeering. The scandal triggered sweeping reforms in Las Vegas government and casino oversight, including new whistleblower protections and financial transparency requirements.

Legacy of a Lost Son

Vincent Blackwood established the Timothy Blackwood Foundation for Ethical Business Practices, funding scholarships and anti-corruption initiatives. Rosa Martinez, the housekeeper whose diligence cracked the case, was honored by the city for her role in solving one of Las Vegas’s most enduring mysteries.

Detective Morrison, now head of the cold case unit, reflected on the case’s impact: “It started with a missing boy and a grieving family. It ended with justice for Timothy—and a warning to anyone who thinks the truth can stay buried forever.”

Today, the story of Timothy Blackwood is taught in business ethics and criminal justice courses across the country. His integrity, and the perseverance of those who sought justice for him, changed Las Vegas forever.