A car filled with bags of concrete has been discovered buried in the backyard of a multimillion-dollar Silicon Valley mansion, with police treating it as a possible crime scene.
Landscapers working at the $15million luxury home uncovered the car 5ft deep in the ground yesterday morning in Atherton in San Mateo County, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country.
Cadaver dogs alerted to the presence of possible human remains but none had been found after a 12-hour search around the car, which police believe was buried in the 1990s when it belonged to previous owners.
The current homeowner, who bought the home in 2020, was not aware the car was in the ground, and the vehicle’s registered owner is being investigated although their identity has not been revealed.
Police have been left baffled by the discovery of a car filled with bags of concrete buried in the yard of a multimillion-dollar California mansion
Landscapers working at the $15million luxury home uncovered the car 5ft deep in the ground yesterday morning
The car was found in the house (pictured) in Atherton in Silicon Valley, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country
Police arrive at the scene on Thursday evening after the unusual discovery at the multimillion dollar mansion
Atherton was ranked the highest per capita income of any town in the US with a population between 2,500 and 9,999, and is one of the most expensive zip codes in the country
The unused bags of concrete were placed throughout the vehicle, though it was blanketed by dirt over the roof, he said.
The 1.63-acre property includes the 12,000sq ft home and was bought in 2020 by its current owners for $15million.
The mansion was built in 1990 and was sold in 2014 for $7.3million.
It has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms and features a private pool, and was listed for rent before the 2014 sale.
Atherton resident Athena Ogawa told NBC Bay Area: ‘It’s a mystery in my own neighborhood.’
Multiple squad cars, SUVs and firefighters came to help on the potential crime scene.
Police believe the car was buried in the 1990s when it belonged to previous owners
The unused bags of concrete were placed throughout the vehicle, though it was blanketed by dirt over the roof
Atherton police are seen arriving at the luxury home to carry out their investigation of the potential crime scene
The 1.63-acre property includes the 12,000sq ft home and was bought in 2020 by its current owners for $15million
Multiple squad cars, SUVs and firefighters came to help on the potential crime scene
Commander Dan Larsen (pictured) said it is believed the car was buried by a former owner in the 1990s but gave little information
Police said in a statement: ‘On Thursday, October 20, 2022, at about 8.50am, Atherton police officers responded to a residence in the 300 block of Stockbridge Avenue regarding a buried vehicle that was located during a landscaping project.
‘Due to the unknown nature of why the vehicle was buried, cadaver dogs were called to the scene. The cadaver dogs made a slight notification of possible human remains. The San Mateo Crime Lab was contacted and sent technicians to assist with excavating the vehicle.
‘Excavation is ongoing and at this time, no human remains have been located.
‘The vehicle was possibly buried sometime in the 1990s and was buried approximately 4 – 5 feet into the ground.
‘There were unused bags of concrete throughout the vehicle. The vehicle was buried before the current homeowner occupied the home.
‘The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation.’
Multiple squad cars, SUVs and firefighters came to help on the potential crime scene
Atherton was ranked the highest per capita income of any town in the US with a population between 2,500 and 9,999
Neighbor Peter Sun said of the exclusive town: ‘It’s kind of strange. But usually, it’s pretty safe and it’s like everyone is kind of doing their own thing.’
Atherton was ranked the highest per capita income of any town in the US with a population between 2,500 and 9,999, and is one of the most expensive zip codes in the country.
The average house price is around $7.5million and locals strongly oppose any new construction and only allow one single-family home per acre and no sidewalks to deliberately keep the neighborhood exclusive and wealthy.
Among its current and former residents are Paul Allen, the late co-founder of Microsoft, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, Facebook executives Nick Clegg and Sheryl Sandberg, and NBA star Stephen Curry.
The average household income of the idyllic San Francisco town is $450,000.
Its proximity to Silicon Valley tech firms is a major draw for entrepreneurs, located just 20 minutes from the headquarters of Facebook, Google and Tesla.
Residents value their privacy, with imposing fences or landscaping obscuring the view of the houses from the street.
There are no shops or restaurants in the town with locals instead having to drive to Menlo Park.