Current:Home > reviewsMiami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far. -MoneyStream
Miami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far.
View
Date:2025-04-13 12:42:31
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! (584)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- November jobs report shows economy added 199,000 jobs; unemployment at 3.7%
- Michigan school shooting victims to speak as teen faces possible life sentence
- Police in Dominica probe the killing of a Canadian couple who owned eco-resort
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Two men in Alabama riverfront brawl plead guilty to harassment; assault charges dropped
- Fatal shooting by police in north Mississippi is under state investigation
- Harvard president apologizes for remarks on antisemitism as pressure mounts on Penn’s president
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- How Gisele Bündchen Blocks Out the Noise on Social Media
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Polish truck drivers are blocking the border with Ukraine. It’s hurting on the battlefield
- Michigan school shooting victims to speak as teen faces possible life sentence
- Stolen packages could put a chill on the holiday season. Here's how experts say you can thwart porch pirates.
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Olivia Rodrigo Reveals How She Got Caught “Stalking” Her Ex on Instagram
- African bank accounts, a fake gold inheritance: Dating scammer indicted for stealing $1M
- Biden thanks police for acting during UNLV shooting, renews calls for gun control measures
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Two men in Alabama riverfront brawl plead guilty to harassment; assault charges dropped
Baltimore’s light rail service suspended temporarily for emergency inspections
Kevin Costner Sparks Romance Rumors With Jewel After Christine Baumgartner Divorce Drama
'Most Whopper
What’s streaming now: Nicki Minaj’s birthday album, Julia Roberts is in trouble and Monk returns
The U.S. states where homeowners gained — and lost — equity in 2023
Texas shooting suspect Shane James tried to escape from jail after arrest, official says