(L.A.) Michael Duncan, 26, Died in the Desert

Case Number: 2018-05012

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 26-year-old Caucasian male that occurred in the desert in Lancaster.

The coroner’s office identified the man as Michael Duncan.

Manner of Death: Homicide

Cause of Death: Undetermined (Charred, Decomposed, and Partially Skeletonized Remains)

RIP MICHAEL DUNCAN (June 6, 1992 – July 2, 2018)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Monday.

This was a notorious case in that the Department of Medical Examiner at first wrongly identified the deceased as Adam Michael Buckley. The body, burned beyond recognition, had been designated as John Doe No. 176.

Lancaster lies in the Antelope Valley within the western Mojave Desert, featuring a semi-arid high-desert climate rather than a true hyper-arid “literal desert” like the Sahara.