Landscapers discover car buried in Atherton yard; police cadaver dogs on scene

ATHERTON, Calif. – Landscapers working on a project at an Atherton home discovered a car buried in the home’s yard on Thursday, police say. 

Police said the vehicle was possibly buried some time in the 1990s and was 4 to 5 feet underground. A contractor said the car was a Mercedes. 

Landscapers discover a car buried in the yard of an Atherton home. Oct. 20, 2022. 

Police officers responded to the incident just before 9 a.m. The home is on the 300 block of Stockbridge Avenue, police Commander Dan Larson said. San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office deputies also responded. 

Out of an abundance of caution, Larson said police called out the San Mateo County crime-scene lab to assist with the excavation of the vehicle. Since it was unclear why the car was buried, police said cadaver dogs were brought in to investigate. Excavation at the scene continues, but so far, no human remains have been located.

Police said that the dogs made slight notification of human remains. The commander added that they “picked up a slight hit.”

Police said there were unused bags of concrete throughout the vehicle. The vehicle was buried before the current homeowner occupied the home. 

The motive and circumstances around this incident are under investigation. 

Investigators remained at the scene through the evening, but Larson was not sure how long they would continue to work. 

Police did not have further details to share. 

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