Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Unsolved Mysteries volume 3, episode 4, “Death in a Vegas Motel.”Unsolved Mysteries volume 3, episode 4 presents ample evidence to support the theory that James “Buffalo Jim” Barrier was murdered. Barrier’s body was discovered in a Motel 6 on Boulder Highway on April 6, 2008, the day after he had checked in. An autopsy later determined that his heart had failed due to dilated cardiomyopathy and that there were trace amounts of cocaine in his system. Investigators were quick to write off Barrier’s death as an accidental drug overdose after interviewing a woman known only as “Lisa,” yet his family believes he was murdered.
While Buffalo Jim Barrier was a popular figure in Las Vegas, he also had many enemies. Chief among them was Rick Rizzolo, who owned the gentlemen’s club next door to Barrier’s car repair business. Unsolved Mysteries volume 3’s “Death in a Vegas Motel” episode reports that Barrier assisted the FBI with investigating Rizzolo’s business, leading to the latter’s conviction on charges of racketeering and tax evasion. Family and friends believe it is no coincidence that Rizzolo was released from prison the day before Barrier’s death, but there is also evidence that Barrier’s death was a case of murder even ignoring his feud with Rick Rizzolo.
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Jim Was Proudly Drug-Free
According to his friends and family, the idea that Buffalo Jim Barrier would die of a cocaine overdose in a motel room in the company of a strange woman is the most unbelievable aspect of his death. Despite being a Sin City institution, Barrier was known for his straight-edge lifestyle. His youngest daughter, Jerica, notes this in Unsolved Mysteries volume 3, episode 4, claiming in the Netflix true-crime series that she had never known her father to “use any drug, or drink any alcohol or party.” This statement was affirmed by the family attorney, Gus Flangas, who recalled that Barrier had used cocaine in his early years and was proud that he had overcome his addiction. It was Flangas’s opinion that the reported circumstances of Barrier’s death were “completely uncharacteristic of the Buffalo that I knew.”
Another Guest Entered Jim’s Hotel Room Before He Did
One odd aspect of the Buffalo Jim Barrier case is that motel records show that another guest entered the room later rented by Barrier at 8:15 PM, on April 5, 2002. This was, as noted in the investigation presented by Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries seven minutes before Barrier checked in at the front desk, at 8:22 PM. The motel records also tracked whether the keys that accessed each room were registered to a guest, management, or maintenance staff. The key used to access the room at 8:15 PM belonged to another guest. The Barrier family believes this is proof of a setup, as there was no good reason for another guest to have been in the same room so soon before it was checked out to Barrier, or for housekeeping to have been cleaning the room that late in the day and using an improper key to access the room.
A Folded Dollar Bill Was Found In Jim’s Wallet
Another odd aspect of the case is that the only money found in Buffalo Jim Barrier’s wallet was a single folded one-dollar bill. Jennifer and Jerica Barrier note in the Netflix Unsolved Mysteries episode “Death in a Vegas Motel” that this was unusual as their father was known to carry large amounts of cash and didn’t fold his money in that fashion. They also claim that the single-folded dollar bill is a “very notorious mob hit sign,” used to mark the victims of contract killings.
Jim’s Car Vanished And Reappeared Mysteriously
Buffalo Jim Barrier’s white Rolls-Royce was his proudest possession, being as distinctive and well-known around Las Vegas as Barrier himself. His daughters were unable to find his car at the motel, despite specifically searching for it after arriving there to identify his body. The police also searched for the car to no avail and filed a missing car report. The Rolls-Royce was ultimately discovered by the motel management later that day, on April 6, 2008, at 5:30 PM, in the hotel parking lot. According to attorney Gus Flangas’s interview with Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries, the police analysis of the car afterward yielded, “…no prints, no hairs, nothing.” This suggests the car may have been taken and cleaned of incriminating evidence before being returned to the motel.
Jim Predicted How He Might Be Murdered
Jennifer Barrier believes her father had some advance warning that his enemies would be making a move against him. She reveals in the Unsolved Mysteries episode “Death in a Vegas Motel” that the last time she spoke to her father was on the Thursday before his death when he specifically told her that “they would make it look like I died of a drug overdose with women.” Barrier also discussed with journalist Joshua Longobardy, on the Friday before his death, the possibility of how his murder might be staged. Longobardy recalled their conversation in a 2008 Las Vegas Weekly article, noting that Barrier had specifically said “They’re gonna try to do it through a woman…or they’re gonna try to drug me.” Given that, it is hard to suggest any scenario fitting the evidence of Buffalo Jim Barrier’s death apart from a murder setup.
Jim Received A Warning Letter On The Day Of His Death
Adding further credence to the setup theory is the fact that Buffalo Jim Barrier received a letter revealing a conspiracy against him on the day he died. The letter, which is shown in the Unsolved Mysteries investigation into the case of Barrier’s death, mentions his old enemy Rick Rizzolo by name and warns Barrier that Rizzolo was “using people to get close to you.” This might also explain why Barrier would agree to meet the mysterious “Lisa” in a motel room, either believing he was helping a woman in need or trying to gather additional evidence of the plot against him.
New Episodes of Unsolved Mysteries release Tuesdays on Netflix.