On May 5, 2023, at about 5:50 a.m., Taft officers found 36-year-old Dustin RJ Miller unresponsive in a vacant lot near 4th and Ash streets in Taft, California. He was lying face down and was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures. An initial exam found a suspected gunshot wound and blunt force trauma to the back of his head; the Kern County Coroner’s Office later confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the back and ruled the manner of death homicide.

Investigators recovered text messages from Miller’s phone indicating he had planned to steal a vehicle the night before he died. Miller’s girlfriend told police she did not know how he sustained his injuries; both her phone and Miller’s were seized. No arrests or suspect identifications have been reported and the Taft Police Department continues to investigate.

Anyone with information about Miller’s death is asked to contact the Taft Police Department at 661-763-3101.