Current:Home > MarketsMiami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far. -MoneyMatrix
Miami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far.
View
Date:2025-04-25 21:50:20
The Miami-Dade Police Department is recovering multiple cars found submerged in a lake in Doral, Florida.
Divers working for a private company to investigate a missing person cold case said they found 32 cars while exploring a lake nestled in an industrial park west of Miami. They notified the police, which began pulling the vehicles from the lake Tuesday morning.
Here is what they found on the first day of vehicle recovery.
First car found in the lake confirmed stolen
- Miami-Dade police representative Alvaro Zabaleta told WFLA that the first car pulled from the lake was confirmed to be stolen. MDPD spokesperson Luis Sierra later confirmed with USA TOSDAY that the car is a Acura Legend, which was last made in 1995 according Cars.com.
- Police divers estimated 20 cars on Tuesday morning, according to Zabaleta. The final number is not yet confirmed due to low visibility.
- Police also pulled a Ford Econoline 3500 and a Cadillac Sedan DeVille, and anticipated extracting two more by the end of Tuesday.
- Zabaleta said that they expect all cars to be of an older make and model as they were likely dumped before the surrounding commercial area, including a Walmart Supercenter, a car dealership and several popular chain restaurants, was built.
Cars in Doral, Florida lake32 vehicles found in lake by divers working missing person cold cases
Police won't rule out possibility of new evidence in cold cases
Zabaleta said the the MDPD team investigating homicide cold cases hasn't been led to this lake before, but they would not rule it out as a possibility.
Based on the first vehicle that was pulled, he expected that they were stolen and discarded after a joy ride. But they will continue to examine the recovered cars for evidence linked to outstanding cases.
"We're not gonna discard the possibility of some type fraud that also can occur and some other type of foul play like a homicide," Zabaleta said, noting that the detectives investigating deaths were on the scene.
Volunteer divers found cars while working missing person cold case
Divers Ken Fleming and Doug Bishop with United Search Corps work on a volunteer basis to investigate missing persons cold cases, they told 7News Miami. The organization works on cases that could have started up to 40 years ago.
They were investigating a case where someone drove from Pinellas County to the Miami International Airport to pick up a relative and never returned.
They targeted this lake because it is nearby the airport with easy access, which could lend itself to foul play.
When they found 32 cars, the divers suspected it was a dumping ground for ongoing criminal activity.
“When we discover a spot like this with multiple vehicles, it pretty much indicates that a crime where they’re disposing the vehicles and hiding them from law enforcement,” Fleming told 7News.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- NY is developing education program on harms of medically unnecessary surgery on intersex children
- Tracy Chapman wins CMA award for Fast Car 35 years after it was released with Luke Combs cover
- 2023 Veterans Day deals: Free meals and discounts at more than 70 restaurants, businesses
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- From loons to a Lab.: Minnesota's state flag submissions do not disappoint
- Historic: NWSL signs largest broadcast deal in women's sports, adds additional TV partners
- RHOBH's Crystal Kung Minkoff Says These Real Housewives Were Rude at BravoCon
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Internet collapses in war-torn Yemen after recent attacks by Houthi rebels targeting Israel, US
Ranking
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- The Great Grift: COVID-19 fraudster used stolen relief aid to purchase a private island in Florida
- Fugitive suspect in Jan. 6 attack on Capitol surrenders to police in New Jersey
- Apple to pay $25 million to settle allegations of discriminatory hiring practices in 2018, 2019
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Election workers report receiving suspicious packages, some containing fentanyl, while processing ballots
- A Belarusian dissident novelist’s father is jailed for two weeks for reposting an article
- As a DJ, village priest in Portugal cues up faith and electronic dance music for global youth
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Liberation Pavilion seeks to serve as a reminder of the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust
Pakistan is planting lots of mangrove forests. So why are some upset?
Police investigate vandalism at US Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s Texas office over Israel-Hamas war
Average rate on 30
United Nations suspends pullout of African Union troops from Somalia as battles with militants rage
AP Week in Pictures: Asia
NFL Week 10 picks: Can 49ers end skid against surging Jaguars?