(L.A.) Theadore Melendrez, 86, Died in the Desert

Case Number: 2021-14325

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 86-year-old Hispanic male that occurred somewhere in the desert.

The coroner’s office identified the man as Theadore Melendrez, resident of Challenger Way in Lancaster.

Manner of Death: Undetermined

Cause of Death: Undetermined (Skeletal Remains)

RIP THEADORE MELENDREZ (November 29, 1935 – December 31, 2021)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Friday at 6:33 p.m.

The decedent had been widely reported as a missing person named Theodore [sic] Anthony Melendrez. He was last seen on July 19, 2020, driving a red 2001 Nissan Frontier. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s.

On July 20, his car was found abandoned in the vicinity of the 90th Street East and Avenue L-8 in Lancaster. There was no sign of him at the scene.

His remains were found much later, in December 2021. It is the ME/C’s policy to log the date a person’s remains were found as the date of death instead of speculating when exactly the death may have occurred.

Reference Location:
34°38’31.6″N – 117°59’20.8″W
Palmdale, California 93535

Map views only approximate location and do not indicate the precise spot where the incident happened.