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Body found near freeway offramp, foul play not suspected [updated]

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The call about the grisly discovery near the 20th Street West offramp, was received about 10:35 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the Lancaster sheriff's station. [Photo by LUIS MEZA]
The call about the grisly discovery near the 20th Street West offramp, was received about 10:35 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the Lancaster sheriff’s station. [Photo by LUIS MEZA]
LANCASTER – A woman’s body was found Monday night near the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in Lancaster, but the death does not appear to be suspicious, a sheriff’s lieutenant said.

The body was discovered near the 20th Street West offramp and was reported to the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station at about 10:35 p.m. Monday, March 28, according to sheriff’s Lt. Justin Diaz.

Investigators search a makeshift tent in the area where the body was found. [LUIS MEZA]
Investigators search a makeshift tent in the area where the body was found. [LUIS MEZA]
“The body was found in the bushes around that area,” Diaz said. “It appears the woman was a transient. And right now, it doesn’t appear her death involved either foul play or a crime.”

Diaz said his station was notified about the body by the California Highway Patrol. 

The woman’s cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, according to the sheriff’s department.

Her name is being withheld pending notification of kin.

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UPDATED 4-11-16: As of Monday, April 11, the woman’s name was still being withheld pending next of kin notification, according to coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter. She was listed as a Caucasian female in her 40s and the autopsy was still in progress, Winter said, adding that the woman’s cause of death was “deferred pending additional tests.” We will continue to follow this story.

UPDATED 8-10-16: The deceased has been identified as 46-year-old Jeanette Francine Luce of Lancaster, according to coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter. Luce was believed to be a transient, Winter said. As of Aug. 10, 2016, Luce’s cause of death was still listed as “deferred pending additional tests,” Winter said, adding that the toxicology test results had not yet come back. We will continue to follow this story.

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Filed Under: Lancaster

66 comments for "Body found near freeway offramp, foul play not suspected [updated]"

  1. Come on “TheAVtimes!” you said “We will continue to follow this story.” but how long has it been? Jeanette had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around! Sure.. she was homeless because she got caught up in substance abuse… and bad boyfriends.. but she was the best friend you could ever have… and I miss her…

    Maybe she overdosed.. maybe she got too high or too drunk and wandered out in the cold.. or maybe there was foul play involved… those of us who know her… would like to know… this will be my last post on this matter.. i just wish more people would stand up for her.. seems like so many have just moved on.. but for me.. I can’t move on.. until I know the truth, and IF someone is responsible for her death.. that they have paid for their crime….

    • this is for the AVTIMES :WHY you have a responsibility to update the community why hasnt there been an “update”this is not ok this is not just for her family,friends it’s for the community as well. so next time somebody see something happening they can call.but if the AV Times is not following up and there’s no updates the community will give up on any hopes that the AV press cares about their citizens

  2. any update? She has not been forgotten… ya her methhead and now missing boyfriend might have killed her… or maybe it was natural causes… but we wanna know.. she is NOT forgotten…

  3. She was my Mom, she was a wonderful kind hearted person who would give you the dhirt off her back. No foul play is [removed]… Her family and friends want answers. She was loved and will forever be greatly missed. Myself and the rest of here children are asking that her belongings be returned to us so that we may all have a pice of our Mom to hold onto forever. The D.A.R. Family is respectfully requeting that her belongings be returend to her kids. Thank you…
    Respectfully,
    D.A.R.

  4. This is for The avtimes newspaper :
    I would like to have updated information on how Jeanette died from to bring a closure to family, FRIENDS and the community.

    Question : What is the police doing now that they know this person was loved and was someone in the community weather she was homeless or not ?

  5. It was Jeanette? Dangit. When I read this story days ago I hoped it was not her. I knew her for about 8 years. We lived in my motorhome for a while and we lived in my van for a while and on the streets. Sometimes her aunt with the Humvee would drop her off with me and sometimes I would drive over to her place and drop her off and I wouldn’t see her for a week or 2 and then she would come stay with me for a week. we were never BF/GF as she preferred the “bad ass” type of boyfriend.

    I last saw her around March 4th, I had heard she was hanging with a guy who had a pit bull and I checked her old camp under the 20th street bridge and she was not there, but I emerged from the tunnel and I saw her in a camp on the other side of the wash fence, not far from the offramp. She was sitting on something holding Puppet while some angry guy stormed back and forth like he was pissed about something. I figured it was not the right time to go over and say hi so I thought I would catch her sitting in front of Walgreens later on, which is where I previously saw her a few weeks prior.

    But life got in the way and I had things to do in Palmdale and never saw her again. All the people we once hung with all gone, Critter, Frankie, Patrick, Manny, Eva and now Jeanette.

    If there is a memorial at Grace Resource Center or elsewhere plz post the date and time.

  6. Were looking for Micheal. I know who had her dog and he is doing good just missing her. Does anyone where to find him. Already been to his camp and he’s not there

  7. I new Jenette well, shed give u the shirt off her back, she came and went, but she was always considerate, she had a dog she rescued, and live in the tent with her, if it was to cold she went to her friends house, I know for fact that her ex beat her up, and there was no one to help her, she told me, and for the idiots who saw a guy with a big machete, u should of call the police, u could of saved a persons life, RIP, girl take care of my son for me, u will be really missed.

  8. I wasnt aware that she was homeless, she had a dog that she posted pictures of on facebook and recently she posted photos of a big supper she had cooked! I doubt very much that she was homeless. This is foul play and i would hope to god they do their job and investigate this murder.
    Rest Peacefully Jeanette xo

  10. Weather a person is homeless or not , everyone one has the right to medical attention. This person will Forever missed and LOVED bt her FAMILY AND FRIENDS
    RIP

    • I Know her, She is the mother of two of my brothers kids She had alot of problems and nobody realy to help her she didnt deserve to die out there like that! Her name is Jeanette! she lived in Lancaster and was haveing Hard times she had 5 kids all together RIP Jeanette!

      • Jeanette is my baby sister. Are you Craig brother? I was looking for him! 661 978-2781.

  11. Our great loser, drug dealer Mayor R Rex Parris offered to pay bus tickets for the homeless to leave Lancaster. Just ask Steve Baker, Grace Resource his “”puppet”. I’d rather live on a highway ramp. RIP.

  12. Ain’t America great? Of course I’m not being serious, any greatness this sh!tbag country possessed ended a long time ago. And geezus, based on many of the comments posted here, many of you are 1 step away from advocating roaming extra-judicial death squads. Too bad her life ended this way and so many of you are still wasting oxygen.

  13. Let’s see what the autopsy says. Typically for a transient no autopsy is performed. I like that they are going to double check through autopsy. Let’s see the results …

        • I will miss her so much, she always know,s she had a home with me.. May God be with her, she was my street daughter for years, please let me know when her service ,s will be. My love go,s out to her.

          • I’m her big sister Tina. If you new her well you know my name my number is 661-978-2781

  14. Actually, if someone wants shelter, the AV shelter usually has openings each night now with the 60th & I facility, and alternatively the DPSS GR office regularly gives shelter vouchers, albeit down below, with transportation each day.

    • Bums can go to a shelter but many choose not to because they have to follow rules there. There are a lot of places for them to get food. If they bother you for money it’s 100% going to drugs and alcohol.

    • I’m wondering if all homeless people know that shelter is even open. She probably lacked medical care, either way, whatever the reason of her death is very sad.

  15. You can’t walk out of an am/pm or 7/11 without getting hounded for spare change. If they put as much effort to get a job as they do making homeless signs and asking for money, this place would be alot less trashy

    • What comes-around-goes-around. perhaps you will end up jobless and homeless then perhaps you will feel what it’s like. A little empathy goes along way. I think it’s people like you that make the world trashy. In this economy it’s hard for a lot of uneducated people to get jobs.

    • There are no jobs in the a.v, we’re over populated and their are hundreds if not thousands of people applying for the same job.

      • If you’re drunk or high all day it’s hard to get a job. Don’t give money to bums, you’re just enabling their sibstnce abuse.

        • Mike, put down the pamphlet of right wing talking a points for 5 minutes. A lot of people ended up on their azz after your boy, GWB (undoubtedly he’s your boy) tanked the economy in 2008. Some people never recovered. With America’s pathetic, fraying social safety net, not everybody can get back on their feet after a major setback. After you leave the Dick Cheney fan club meeting today, perhaps you’ll respond with a cogent, well thought out reply. I’ll hold my breath.

          • Not for me. I’ve never refused to meet anyone I’ve met through the internet. Probably tough for you though, I would guess.

          • Interesting quote on the subject from a nation wide forum I frequent:

            “I’m back from a three day trip to Irvine CA. That is not very interesting in itself, but what makes it news worthy is that I had a fabulous lunch with Tim. We spent the afternoon at a Korean Fusion restaurant eating tacos and street food talking about life and politics.

            What was most interesting was that he is the real deal. What we’ve seen here is what you get in real life. He is thoughtful and thought provoking with an interesting perspective on a whole host of topics. I didn’t know what to expect and I was most pleasantly surprised.

            Thanks Tim for driving down from Palmdale and letting me take over your whole day. Next trip, maybe we can do it again.”

            What you see is what you get in real life. I find that to be a very good rule of conduct on the internet.

          • Ok, how did he tank the economy? Be very specific on what the president did to tank the economy.

        • Maybe for some homeless that maY apply but I have seen many many who truely need help and unfortunately it is very hard for them to attain help long term. Hopefully with more approved government program’s to help not just for the short term but also long term Maybe this will help solve this problem

    • Wow your a real winer half of those homeless people are mental paitents.they dont even know how to help them selfs.please open your eyes.we are the reasone all of us who vote .think twice people cuzz it could be your kid on the street.god bless america

    • Your right and it doesn’t feel good to have that guilt that someone is so bad off and your not, so I can see how that must bother you. One thing your not possible understanding about a large number of the homeless. They are mentally ill from one thing or another whether it be from birth or a hard life. Jeanette had both issues life was hard on her. So getting a job is so much harder of a concept for them than you and I. WE need to take care of our mentally ill and not abandon them. They should matter.

  16. Shouldn’t they still have to do an autopsy to make sure of the cause of death? Or, is the county trying to cut costs and just make assumptions? Under the circumstances and how she was living when she passed, I hope they have enough humanity to find out why.

  17. She died of hypothermia because the temperature was close to zero yesterday. The shelter was probably full and they turned her down. The city needs an emergency plan when it gets that cold. That’s why I’m voting for Hillery because democrats care about people.

    • Actually the city does have emergency response workers dedicated to our homeless population. Los Angeles Homeless Authority provides transportation directly to our local shelter, no questions asked and at no charge for persons who are homeless are in immediate danger of becoming homeless. Their direct service line is 213-225-6581. I have worked directly with the emergency response team going from tent to tent offering shelter and I cannot tell you how many times individuals have declined our help. There is a difference in there not being any available aid and people not utilizing it. If you really want to help your community, spread the word. Let them know that the help is out there. Make that phone call for them if they don’t have a phone. Give them some change so they can get to a pay phone… Voting for Hillary will not bring any change to help that is already available.

      • Thank you for posting this info and phone no. I put it in my cell phone for those I may meet.

  18. RIP My our Lord take good care of her this is so sad and scary so close to home my the Lord keep us all under his wings this world is going to pots just today there was 6 murders just today my the Lord protect us all

  19. Poor women i wish that there were closer and more places for homeless in this wearher, may whatevet the cause she did not suffer, may god have her in heaven

  20. I don’t trust that there is no foul play! We were getting off this off ramp yesterday at about 7 and there were 3 transients alive. 1 female and 2 males. One male walked away and grabbed a huge machete out of a bush, and the other walked in another direction. I have a feeling they know what happened! My fiancé and I thought it was really odd.

      • because police always say we have more important crimes in this valley to take care of been there done that have bad taste in mouth to talk to any law enforcement for any reason .Landcaster no lives matter

          • I agree with Ruck Hoyt… what person sees that and doesnt report it. And obviously its early in the investigation to give out too many details…

          • If it would of been reported maybe someones sister mother daughter may of been found sooner

        • maybe it was foul play and they just are not saying right now! maybe that guy did cut her up?? they need to look more into it! they are doing an autopsy tomorrow she was my x-sister inlaw her name is Jeanette

    • tell the police about it! she was my x-sister inlaw she was having alot of hard times with nobody realy out there to help her she has 5 kids but none of them with her now because of her hard life she lived in Lancaster most of her life she didnt deserve to die like that! her name is Jeanette Luce-Davis RIP Jeanette

  21. Lord bring peace and comfort to her family andany that knew her and realization that we need to be concerned for each other….

    • @ 5 years ago on July 5th, at the abandoned Walmart on Valley Central, there was the discovery of full skeletal remains. It was found in the fenced area on the 25th street side of the store, by the driveway to the new store. No personal items were found with the skeleton, not even shoes. I wonder that person was ever identified. Newspaper said it was probably a transient. How would they know that?

      • Yea, I get off at 20th street everyday coming home from work. Usually someone at the light with a sign, and you see them in the bushes to the right. Very sad.