Police authorities in California are investigating a vehicle buried 5 feet in the yard of a multimillion-dollar home in Atherton, Silicon Valley. The buried car, which eyewitnesses called a Mercedes-Benz, was discovered by landscapers working in the yard of the $15 million house.
The sprawling property has a tennis court and a swimming pool on a 12,643 square-foot area and is located at the 300 block of Stockbridge Avenue.
According to the Atherton Police Department, the car was likely buried in the early 1990s and upon excavation, it was found to contain several bags of unused concrete. The police invited the San Mateo Crime Lab to take part in the excavation and investigation.
Cadaver dogs were also brought to the site and their behavior indicated the possible presence of human remains, but none was found as of Friday morning.
Police said the vehicle was possibly buried on the property long before the present owners and occupiers took possession of the house. They said the present property owners were not under investigation.
The former owners were said to have lived in the house from 1990 to 2014. Atherton Police Commander Daniel Larsen said inquiries continue to establish a motive for interring the vehicle decades ago.
“The motive and circumstances of this incident are under investigation,” police said in a statement.
Atherton has about 7,000 residents and stands on 5 square miles; it is one of the wealthiest towns in the United States.