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Burned body found in Lancaster cistern identified [updated]

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The body was found inside a water cistern at this abandoned property. [Image via AV News Crew]
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Los Angeles County coroner’s office incorrectly identified the body. Adam Buckley is actually alive. Read our updated story here.

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LANCASTER – The coroner’s office has identified a man whose burned body was found last month in a cistern at an abandoned home in the Lancaster area, but it is still unclear how he died.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives were sent about 9:20 a.m. on July 2 to the area of 220th Street East and East Avenue F. A detective told a news photographer at the scene that the body was burned and found inside a water cistern at an abandoned house.

He was identified as 26-year-old Adam Buckley, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Information was not immediately available on the man’s cause of death or place of residence.

“The body was found (July 1) at about 4:30 p.m. by location film scouts,” Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Detective Ray Lugo told the photographer. “They left the area at about 10:30 p.m., but did not make the call (until) some time (the following) morning at about 8:30 a.m.”

Lancaster deputies confirmed the find and notified the homicide unit, Lugo said.

Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

Previous related story: Burned body found in cistern in Lancaster area

 

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12 comments for "Burned body found in Lancaster cistern identified [updated]"

  1. My daughter received a phone call from the Coroner’s Office last week saying that it was actually her missing 26 year old who’s incenerated body was identified by DNA after having been initially been misidentified. His mother is devastated. Her son had left his family home ten years ago and had lead a secret life appearing briefly and then disappearing again. His mother recently filed a missing person report.

    I too wonder why the film scouts waited so long to report the find. Could they be somehow involved? Even more disturbing is hearsay information said to be from siblings of the young dead man. He is said to have told them that he was living with another gay man who he knew to be extremely violent. He also gave them a Lancasrer address. I’m told that this information has been given to the police. I am sharing it here in the interest of keeping ithe case active. I wish to remain anyomous at this time. Besides I can not guarantee the accuracy of what I am reporting.

    • My partner raised this individual as well as his siblings. Someone knows something here.
      It is upsetting to have a misidentification occur within a major city, Yet, zero apologies or urgency for the dead person’s family.

      ‘lem’ Raises many of the questions I have. Something is terribly rotten here. This family needs closure. The coroner and sheriff are on the bubble here and risk consequences.

  2. It was not Adam after all! The coroner mis-identified him, and his family is desperately searching for him. We know he was in Torrance, CA on 8/28, as confirmed by personnel there. He is not well and probably does not know how to contact anyone. In the meantime, that was someone else’s family member at the bottom of that cistern. I hope they get closure.

  4. Yes, he was reported missing, which is why they were able to identify him. He has/had a large extended family who loved him and wants answers. To begin with, why did the location scouts wait frikkin 16 hours to report his body? What evidence did they accidentally or deliberately destroy during the six hours they were there?

    • It sounds suspicious to me that they waited that long to report this. Adam is my nephew and our family wants some answers.

      • Sorry for your loss.

        However, don’t let it induce paranoia. There are a whole lot of possible reasons for a delayed report, first and most likely being that they were probably far from certain about what they had found.

        But even the far less likely ones are still more likely than some conspiracy to murder your nephew and cover it up that includes a film location crew that came along some time later. I don’t know how long your nephew was missing, but I think it’s pretty surprising that he was found at all.

  5. What the heck? This picture is an “abandoned home”? How does someone even find a place like this, to hang out at? Even, the murdering kind?!