Frantic grave-digging effort in California desert uncovers human remains sparking murder investigation two weeks after man goes missing

A gruesome discovery in Southern California has sparked a homicide investigation — just blocks from where a man vanished two weeks ago.

But authorities have not said the cases are connected.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Tuesday that investigators are probing the deaths of two people after human remains were discovered in Lancaster, a remote Mojave Desert city.

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.

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.

Witnesses reported seeing cadaver dogs scouring the area.

“Based on the circumstances surrounding the discovery, the case is now being investigated as a homicide,” a statement from the sheriff’s office read.

“Homicide investigators are in the early stages of investigating the scene.”

Officials said they were withholding the identities of the dead and details surrounding their deaths “to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”

No other information was released.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Video from KTLA showed agents digging a large hole on the property as the investigation unfolded.

The discovery happened near the area where 61-year-old Ricky Allen Phillips disappeared two weeks earlier — 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.

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.

The sheriff’s department classified Phillips as an “at-risk missing person,” saying his family was “concerned for his well-being.”

Phillips is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds, with black hair and green eyes.

The proximity of the two cases has drawn attention, but for now, authorities have provided no public evidence linking them.