Deputies digging through a battered desert greenhouse found two sets of human remains while checking a missing-person lead.
Story Snapshot
- Two people’s remains were found near 50th Street East and Avenue F in Lancaster.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the deaths as homicides.
- The discovery came during a follow-up in a missing-person case, not a random patrol.
- Identities and causes of death were not yet released pending coroner work.
Deputies Follow a Missing-Person Lead and Find Two Decedents
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators located two sets of human remains Tuesday in a remote part of Lancaster while following up on a missing-person investigation near East Avenue F and 50th Street East. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau led the response. The department classified the case as a homicide investigation based on what they found at the site. Officials said they will release identities after the coroner confirms them and families are notified. They did not announce any arrests.
Reporters at the scene described a stark landscape. Investigators moved between debris piles, recreational vehicles, and the ribs of an old greenhouse or hoop house. They used shovels, a backhoe, and cadaver dogs to search and dig on the property. The visuals matched the scale of the search. The location’s isolation, mixed structures, and disturbed ground drew focus to possible concealment. Detectives asked the public to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau with tips at the number provided in media reports.
Why Investigators Call It Homicide Before Autopsy
Detectives often open a homicide probe when scene conditions show likely foul play, even before the medical examiner confirms cause or manner of death. The Lancaster case fits that pattern. The department cited the circumstances of the discovery as the reason for the classification. That step secures resources, preserves evidence, and widens legal tools for warrants. It does not name a suspect. It signals that, to trained eyes, the scene looked like someone tried to hide death, not a natural end.
Cause, manner, and time of death will come from the coroner. Standard work includes fingerprints, dental X-rays, and tissue samples that can confirm identity and assist DNA comparison, along with other postmortem steps laid out in state practice. Those findings can estimate how long the remains were there. They can also show trauma, tool marks, or signs of burning or binding. That detail gives prosecutors a timeline and theory. Until then, detectives build the case with scene processing and witness leads.
What We Know, What We Do Not, and What Comes Next
Two people are dead. The site sits near Avenue F and 50th Street East. The remains were found during a missing-person follow-up. The Sheriff’s Department is treating the deaths as homicides. Those are firm points. Officials have not released the names of the deceased or confirmed any link to the missing person that led them there. Media accounts emphasized that identities and causes of death remain with the coroner for now. That is the normal order in a case like this.
Law enforcement will map and excavate the scene methodically. Detectives will seek property records, utility data, and nearby camera footage to learn who used the site and when. Phone location data can tie people to that desert parcel. Prior calls for service may show a pattern of activity. These steps sound dull, but they close murder cases. Common sense says the public should judge results, not rumors. If you know something, call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at the number publicized by the department and media.
Sources:
nypost.com, ktla.com, cbsnews.com, mynewsla.com
