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Police search for additional victims as two bodies discovered in California

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Clayton, A. (2026, October 1). Police search for additional victims as two bodies discovered in California. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/30/california-police-bodies

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-01 · by Abené Clayton

Quick Summary

Law enforcement is searching for more potential victims after discovering two bodies in a shallow grave near Lancaster, California, north of Los Angeles. Authorities are investigating the remains as part of a missing persons case and have expanded their search to nearby areas. The city, with a population of over 170,000 people, has seen a significant decrease in homicides by 35% between 2024 and 2025.
Written by AI on 2026-10-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In Lancaster, California, two bodies were found buried in shallow graves near 50th Street East and Avenue F on September 26, sparking a murder investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The remains identified belong to Edward Perez, 46, who was reported missing on September 19, and Ricky Phillips, 61, who went missing on September 10. Law enforcement officials are now searching for potential additional victims in this remote desert area north of Los Angeles, where the bodies were discovered during an investigation into missing persons cases. The city has a population of just over 170,000 people and is unincorporated, falling under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Written for “California Desert Murders Investigation” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 California Desert Murders Investigation
Crime & Law · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 43% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Missing men found dead in shallow graves in California desert as mystery grows Same event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
Frantic grave-digging effort in California desert uncovers human remains sparking murder investigation two weeks after man goes missing Same event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
7
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
43%
3 of 7 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-01 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Abené Clayton
6 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 News of the MLB’s outreach to the federal government quickly sparked concern about the impact that erecting a field and the infrastructure to hold spectators could have on the natural landscape and habitat of scores of wildlife who call the 310,000-acre (125,500-hectare) park home.
2026-10-01 · assertive framing · Proposal to hold Major League Baseball game in Grand Teton national park sparks backlash
🔮 “It’s a specious claim if you’ve never attempted to verify anything with actual facts and are willing to believe what the administration will tell you,” said Pratheepan Gulasekaram, a law professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
2026-10-01 · mixed framing · Trump and his allies credit deportations with record low crime. Experts disagree
Also by Abené Clayton
Cyclospora found at Mexican farm linked to lettuce outbreak, FDA says
2026-10-03 · The Guardian
Proposal to hold Major League Baseball game in Grand Teton national park sparks backlash
2026-10-01 · The Guardian
Trump and his allies credit deportations with record low crime. Experts disagree
2026-10-01 · The Guardian
Judge ends federal oversight of Oakland police department after 23 years
2026-09-30 · The Guardian
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 6 articles by Abené Clayton →

Topics

California KTLA Lancaster Los Angeles the Los Angeles Times

Subjects

Lancaster GPE · 3× KTLA ORG · 2× Los Angeles GPE · 2× California GPE · 1× Guardian ORG · 1× the Los Angeles Times ORG · 1×

Narrative

Law enforcement officials are looking for additional victims after two bodies were found on Tuesday in a remote area of Lancaster, California, a small city about 70 miles north of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reports.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-01
2026-10-01 · The Guardian
Police search for additional victims as two bodies discovered in California · mixed framing

Claims (7 extracted, 3 hedged)

Law enforcement officials are looking for additional victims after two bodies were found on Tuesday in a remote area of Lancaster, California, a small city about 70 miles north of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reports. asserted
Times → look → Angeles
Authorities found the bodies in a shallow grave while they were investigating a missing persons case, according to KTLA. uncertain
they → find → KTLA
Outside of the sheriff’s department investigating the discovery of the remains as a homicide, little is known about the two people who were found in the shallow grave. asserted
who → investigate → grave
On Wednesday, KTLA’s helicopter captured authorities and staff with the medical examiner’s office digging in new areas near where the bodies were found. asserted
bodies → capture → areas
Lancaster is a city of just over 170,000 people, according to the most recent census data. uncertain
Lancaster → accord → data
Like much of the nation, Lancaster has seen a substantial decrease in homicides, with killings declining by 35% between 2024 and 2025, according to the city. uncertain
killings → see → city
The Los Angeles sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on the case. asserted
department → respond → case
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