Landscapers found a buried car in an Atherton backyard on Thursday morning, police said.
It happened in a house in the 300 block of Stockbridge Avenue.
NBC Bay Area’s SkyRanger flew over the multi-million dollar property and spotted investigators digging up what is believed to be a possible crime scene.
Police believe the car has been buried since the 1990s and belonged to a previous owner of the house. They added that the current owner of the property, who called the police, said he had no idea the car was there.
Officials added that the car was buried about 4 to 5 feet underground.
“Dead dogs were called to the scene. The cadaver dogs made slight notification of possible human remains,” said Atherton Police Department Commander Dan Larsen.
Police said no human remains had been found as of Thursday evening.
“It’s a mystery in my own neighborhood,” said Athena Ogawa, a resident of Atherton.
The mystery unearthed and continues for Ogawa and others Thursday night as vehicles. including patrol cars and SUVs were driving in and out of the long driveway leading to the house.
The Menlo Park Fire District came to the neighborhood Thursday to help dig.
The home was last sold in March 2020, according to real estate firm Redfin.
As of Thursday evening, small details were revealed, which left some neighbors perplexed.
“It’s a bit strange,” said Atherton resident Peter Sun. “But generally it’s pretty safe and it’s like everyone is doing their own thing.”
“It’s weird, but it was really fascinating to watch all of this happen,” Ogawa said. “I just want to see how it goes.”
Police said the registered owner of the car is under investigation and are not releasing the person’s identity at this time.
Landscapers discovered a car buried in an Atherton backyard on Thursday and it is being considered a possible crime scene. NBC Bay Area Investigator Jaxon Van Derbeken reports.
