A homeowner getting some landscaping done in their back garden was baffled to discover an entire car buried beneath the soil.
The vehicle was discovered yesterday with the police called after fearing they had stumbled across a crime scene.
Emergency services brought in cadaver dogs who made a slight indication they smelled human remains although nothing has yet been found by investigators.
Excavations and investigations continue with the local fire department drafted in to help dig.
The car was found in the Californian town of Atherton.
According to police the car had been buried in the 1990s beneath around 4-5ft of soil.
A spokesperson for Atherton Police said: "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 1990’s 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."
"It's a mystery in my own neighbourhood," Atherton resident Athena Ogawa told NBC.
As of Thursday night, little details were released, which left some neighbours bewildered.
“It's kind of strange,” said Atherton resident Peter Sun. “But usually, it’s pretty safe and it's like everyone is kind of doing their own thing.”
“It’s strange, but it was really fascinating to see this all this happening,” Ogawa said. "I just want to see how this plays out."
