Family: Man found dead in desert battled addiction

Michael Anthony Hadley’s grandfather said the 25-year-old was looking forward to seeing his family again.

But he never called.

“He was loved by a very large family,” his grandfather, Michael W. Hadley, said this month.

His family had reported him missing in late December, and people riding horses found his body in the desert just after 12:55 p.m. Feb. 3 near Coldcreek and Bugling Bull roads, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

He died of multiple injuries, and his death was ruled a homicide, the Clark County coroner’s office said.

Michael Anthony Hadley lived on the streets of Las Vegas and had battled heroin addiction since high school.

His grandparents, who had raised him since he was young, said he had shown signs his health was improving. “It seemed like he had almost turned a corner,” Michael W. Hadley said. “And he just didn’t get the chance.”

Michael Anthony Hadley was born in Lompoc, California, but grew up with his grandparents, brother and aunt in Seattle. His grandparents later moved to Las Vegas.

As a young adult, he chose to live on the streets, grandmother Heidi Hadley said.

Her grandson’s goal was to eventually come back to his family, she said. As Heidi Hadley dropped him off where he lived on Dec. 18, the last time his family saw him alive, they embraced.

He told her, “I’ll see you at Christmastime,” and she watched him walk away.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.