Current:Home > MarketsMiami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far. -Quantum Growth Learning
Miami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far.
View
Date:2025-04-17 14:19:41
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! (8)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- As back-to-school costs soar, experts provide tips to help families save
- Top prosecutors from 14 states back compensation for those sickened by US nuclear weapons testing
- Whatever happened to fly-in medical missions that got kayoed by the pandemic?
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Videos, photos show Hurricane Idalia damage as catastrophic storm inundates Florida: Our entire downtown is submerged
- US applications for jobless claims inch back down as companies hold on to their employees
- Kyle Richards Shares Update on “Very Hard” Public Separation From Mauricio Umansky
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Why 'blue zones' around the world may hold the secret to a long life
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Last defendant in Georgia election case released from Fulton County Jail
- Georgia sheriff dies after car hits tree and overturns
- When can you buy the new iPhone 15? Apple announces release date for iPhones, watches
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued perks beyond impeachment allegations, ex-staffers say
- 'We will be back': Covenant families disappointed in Tennessee special session, vow to press ahead
- Forecasters warn of increased fire risk in Hawaii amid gusty winds, low humidity
Recommendation
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Locomotive manufacturer, union reach tentative deal to end 2-month strike
'I love animals': Texas woman rescues 33 turtles after their pond dries up
An AI quadcopter has beaten human champions at drone racing
Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn addresses struggles after retirement, knee replacement
Most-Shopped Celeb-Recommended Items This Month: Alix Earle, Kyle Richards, Paige DeSorbo, and More
Iraq court sentences 5 people to life in prison in killing of US citizen, officials say