Car reported stolen in 92 found buried at California mansion

ATHERTON, Calif. — Three decades after a car was reported stolen in Northern California, police are digging the missing convertible out of the yard of a $15 million mansion built by a man with a history of arrests for murder, attempted murder and insurance fraud.

The convertible Mercedes Benz, filled with bags of unused concrete, was discovered Thursday by landscapers in the affluent town of Atherton in Silicon Valley, Atherton Mayor Rick DeGolia said, reading a statement from police.

Although cadaver dogs alerted to possible human remains on Thursday, none had been found more than 24 hours after technicians with the San Mateo County Crime Lab began excavating the car, DeGolia said.

Police believe the car was buried 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) deep in the backyard of the home sometime in the 1990s — before the current owners bought the home. The car was reported stolen in September 1992 in nearby Palo Alto, he said.

By Friday, the technicians had been able to excavate the passenger side of the convertible, which was buried with its top down. They also opened the trunk where they found more bags of unused cement. Cadaver dogs were again brought back to the house and again “made a slight notification of possible human remains,” DeGolia said.