{"id":480051,"date":"2026-09-30T03:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T03:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/480051\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T03:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T03:30:11","slug":"two-bodies-found-in-lancaster-desert-during-missing-man-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/480051\/","title":{"rendered":"Two bodies found in Lancaster desert during missing man search"},"content":{"rendered":"

A gruesome discovery<\/a> in Southern California has sparked a homicide investigation \u2014 just blocks from where a man vanished two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

But authorities have not said the cases are connected.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department<\/a> confirmed Tuesday that investigators are probing the deaths of two people after human remains were discovered<\/a> in Lancaster, a remote Mojave Desert city.<\/p>\n

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The remains of two people were discovered in a remote area of Lancaster on Tuesday afternoon during an investigation into a missing persons case. KTLA<\/p>\n

The remains were found near 50th Street East and Avenue F, where a massive law enforcement presence descended on a property cluttered with debris, RVs and what appeared to be the remains of an old greenhouse.<\/p>\n

Aerial footage showed investigators digging into the ground as evidence markers dotted the property. Agents also erected a canopy where photographs and other evidence appeared to be collected.<\/p>\n

Witnesses reported seeing cadaver dogs scouring the area.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Sheriff\u2019s Department is investigating the case as a homicide. KNN News<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the circumstances surrounding the discovery, the case is now being investigated as a homicide,\u201d a statement from the sheriff\u2019s office read.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomicide investigators are in the early stages of investigating the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials said they were withholding the identities of the dead and details surrounding their deaths \u201cto protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

No other information was released.<\/p>\n

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A large law-enforcement presence is gathered near the intersection of 50th Street East and Avenue F, northeast of Lancaster, California, as authorities conduct an extensive search of the area. KNN News<\/p>\n

Video from KTLA showed agents digging a large hole<\/a> on the property as the investigation unfolded.<\/p>\n

The discovery happened near the area where 61-year-old Ricky Allen Phillips disappeared two weeks earlier \u2014 but there is no indication from authorities that Phillips is one of the people found or that his disappearance is tied to the homicide investigation.<\/p>\n

Phillips was last seen Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, on the 44900 block of 10th Street W in Lancaster, according to an LASD missing-person bulletin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This undated handout photo shows Ricky Allen Phillips, who was last seen Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in Lancaster. Instagram\/@Los Angeles County Sheriff\u0092s Department<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the circumstances surrounding the discovery, the case is now being investigated as a homicide,\u201d a statement from the sheriff\u2019s office read. KTLA<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s department classified Phillips as an \u201cat-risk missing person,\u201d saying his family was \u201cconcerned for his well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillips is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds, with black hair and green eyes.<\/p>\n

The proximity of the two cases has drawn attention, but for now, authorities have provided no public evidence linking them.<\/p>\n

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