Family says questions linger in Newberry teen’s hunting death
Cleveland Tinker, Gainesville Sun
Tue, August 25, 2026 at 12:10 PM PDT
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The findings of a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigation into the death of a Newberry teen nearly two years ago have left the family with more questions than answers.
The FWC investigation into the death of Malachi Lancaster, 18, who was hunting Dec. 8, 2024, with another teen off Southwest Williston Road in Alachua County, concluded his death was “accidental.” However, the death certificate from the District 8 Medical Examiner’s Office in Gainesville classified the manner of death as “undetermined,” according to official records.
Although the FWC released the conclusion of its investigation more than a year ago, people who have recently become aware of the case have launched a “Justice for Malachi” movement on social media. A petition on Change.org had received 6,639 signatures as of 2 p.m. Aug. 25. The petition asks the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to “intervene and reopen the investigation, bring in independent experts, review all forensic evidence and pursue a complete and unbiased examination of what really happened” the day Malachi was shot.
Interest in Malachi’s death increased following the death of Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teenager whose body was found after a July 4 boat trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, said Sophie Lancaster, Malachi’s mother. Wells’ case remains unresolved, with conflicting witness accounts, an indeterminate autopsy and concerns about racial bias influencing the investigation, according to a USA Today report.
Malachi, who played football at Newberry High School after transferring from Buchholz for his senior year, died after his rifle allegedly “accidentally discharged.” The young man hunting with Malachi called 911 at 5:39 p.m. Deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office were the first law enforcement officers to arrive at the scene and found Malachi lying on his back on the trail with a gunshot wound to the back left lower flank above the waistline and no exit wound. Efforts to save him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at UF Health Shands Hospital at 7 p.m., according to official records.
Deputy William Patten wrote that while approaching Malachi, he passed a young white male who was on the phone with an unknown person and heard him say, “Someone must have shot him.” Sophie Lancaster said that was the earliest recorded statement made by the sole witness and that it does not match the accounts he later provided.
In one account given to ACSO, the witness said Malachi had been climbing into a tree stand when his rifle became caught on a branch and discharged. Based on that account, ACSO informed the medical examiner’s office there were no suspicions of foul play, which became part of the medical examiner’s initial understanding of the death, records show.
However, FWC investigator Terrynce Bing, who traveled from Jacksonville to the scene, walked the path between where Malachi was found and the tree stand and found no blood trail, leading him to describe the tree-stand account as “unconfirmed.” Bing concluded the incident occurred on the trail, according to records.
Official records also show that an ACSO crime scene investigator photographed the tree stand and documented that nothing of evidentiary value was found there.
Emphasizing that it was too early in the investigation to provide a complete account of the incident, Bing wrote in a supplemental report that “… this appears to be a hunting incident; however, giving the initial context of the incident and the fatal outcome, treating it as a criminal case was a possible course of action.”
Bing also wrote that further investigation was necessary and should be conducted thoroughly, as in all investigations.
“Based on my experience, I am aware that initial reports regarding critical incidents are often incomplete or inaccurate,” Bing wrote. “These early accounts can be fragmented and unreliable; while they provide helpful leads, they must be evaluated with caution and verified through subsequent investigation.”
Bing also wrote that his survey of the scene “strongly suggests” the shooting occurred where Malachi was found, “where the blood pooling and the firearm were found — rather than at the tree stand.”
The FWC’s final report states that a preponderance of the evidence led investigators to conclude that Malachi’s death was accidental.
“Based upon the evidence gathered, witness statements, laboratory and forensic test results it is my conclusion that the incident on December 8, 2024, is a result of an accidental discharge of the Savage Arms rifle, that was carried by Malachi, and not criminal in nature,” wrote the report’s author, FWC investigator Joshua Bembry.
According to the report, factors supporting that conclusion included neighbors who lived near the scene hearing the gunshot and communicating with the other hunter within seconds, responding deputies securing the scene within four minutes of the 911 call, and all evidence being photographed and collected by ASO forensic investigators. The report also notes that the Savage Arms rifle recovered beside Malachi was left untouched until processed by crime scene investigators.
The report further states that FDLE ballistic testing ruled out the other hunter’s rifle as the weapon that fired the single round recovered from Malachi. Investigators found that the only other rifle at the scene, Malachi’s, was entangled in brush with a stick protruding through the trigger guard.
The report also cites the fact that neither Malachi nor the other hunter had “attended and completed” a hunter safety course, which teaches the importance of firearm safety while participating in outdoor activities.
Though the FWC’s final report was completed more than a year ago, calls for a review of the investigation continue to grow.
The family is not asking for any favors, only that the FDLE or another law enforcement agency conduct a thorough review of the FWC’s investigation, Sophie Lancaster said. She added that the family is grateful for the attention the Justice for Malachi campaign has received since it was launched on change.org.
Lancaster said an official with the medical examiner’s office succinctly summarized the situation by saying the story of Malachi’s death “has yet to be told.”
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Family says questions linger in Newberry teen’s hunting death
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