Home » Santa Clarita News » Crime » Santa Clarita Mother Mistakenly Told Son Was Dead, Adam Buckley Still Missing
Adam Buckley is still missing after his mother was mistakenly told by county officials that he had been found dead in Lancaster.

Santa Clarita Mother Mistakenly Told Son Was Dead, Adam Buckley Still Missing

A Santa Clarita mother is still searching for her son after he was mistakenly confirmed as dead by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.


Sponsored Articles


Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Angela Winters told reporters that her 27-year-old son, Adam Buckley, had gone missing from a halfway house in June. The manager at the house reportedly told her Buckley had left without telling anybody where he was going.  

But her search for the missing man was complicated in August when she received a call from the coroner’s office notifying her, as next of kin, that Buckley had been found dead on July 2.

The body was reportedly found by film location scouts inside a water cistern at an abandoned house near 220th Street East and East Avenue F in Lancaster, Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Detective Ray Lugo told a news photographer at the scene.

“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.,” he said.

But when Winters and other family members were preparing for a celebration of life ceremony in late August, she received another call.

The coroner’s office had falsely identified Buckley because the body was too decomposed to get fingerprints or bone DNA, because of extensive thermal damage, the coroner’s office said in a statement.

“Our board-certified radiologist compared body X-rays known to be of Mr. Buckley with body X-rays of the decedent and, based on the information known at that time, confirmed the identification for (the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department),” the statement said.

The latest clue Winters has now is one that points to Buckley being alive. While his family was searching for him, Buckley was arrested in Torrance for vagrancy and transferred to Los Angeles, where he was released, according to arrest records.

Winters is still searching for her missing son, and told CBS2 she is frantic.

“I can’t sleep. I can’t eat,” she reportedly told the station. “The only thing I’m concerned with at this point is finding my son.”

Anyone with information about Adam Buckley or the unidentified body found in Lancaster is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com.

Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

Santa Clarita Mother Mistakenly Told Son Was Dead, Adam Buckley Still Missing

One comment

  1. I am overjoyed to tell you that Adam Buckley has been found. He is relatively okay.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Chris McCrory

Chris McCrory is the acting News Director for KHTS Radio. He set up a profile picture in his first week as an intern in 2015, and still isn't sure how to change it. He will graduate from Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism in December 2018.