Update: Police say car found buried for decades in Atherton backyard was stolen
ATHERTON -- Police in Atherton on Friday said they have determined the car that was found buried in the yard of a multi-million dollar home was reported stolen over 30 years ago.
The car was discovered Thursday morning by landscapers in the affluent town of Atherton, police said in a news release.
Cadaver dogs alerted to possible human remains but none had been found so far, according to Atherton police Cmdr. Daniel Larsen. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Department is also assisting in the investigation.
Police said the vehicle was buried approximately four or five feet into the ground, likely sometime in the 1990s. There were unused bags of concrete found throughout the vehicle. Crime scene technicians stopped working for the night at about 10 p.m. Thursday evening.
On Friday, police confirmed the vehicle is a Mercedes Benz that had been reported as stolen to the Palo Alto Police Department in September of 1992. Police said the possible owner of the vehicle is believed to be deceased and authorities are waiting for records that are being retrieved in the DMV archives to learn more about the car and its history.
A cadaver dog was brought back to the scene Friday morning where it once again made a slight notification of possible human remains, though none have been found so far. As of Friday afternoon, police said a majority of the passenger compartment of the vehicle has been excavated.
"I've asked a few questions of some different K-9 officers, and what they've said is it could be human remains. They could be reacting to blood, they could be reacting to old bones, they could be reacting to human vomit," said Larsen. "It could be any one of those combinations of things that the dogs are reacting to."
Police also said the vehicle was buried before the current homeowner occupied the home.
"We're just waiting to hear what's in the car. I think he probably just buried the car for insurance money," said neighbor Kathy Consani.
The sprawling home and property is valued at $15 million, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Larsen said the current homeowners were not under investigation.
Police said the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident remain under an active investigation.
Atherton is one of the wealthiest towns in the U.S., with about 7,000 residents within its nearly 5 square miles.
