An unsolved disappearance case led a volunteer dive team to a surprising discovery in Miami on Sunday. The team, United Search Corps, found more than 30 vehicles at the bottom of a lake while searching for clues related to the case.
The missing person had reportedly driven from Pinellas County to Miami International Airport to pick up relatives and then disappeared. The team targeted the lake due to its location near the airport and its easy access, suspecting it might be a site of foul play.
Instead of finding evidence related to the case, the divers stumbled upon 32 submerged vehicles. This is not an isolated incident for the team, as they have previously discovered a total of 60 vehicles underwater across Florida, all linked to criminal activities.
Upon making the discovery, the divers alerted Miami-Dade Police. The department’s own dive team was dispatched to the site, and Public Information Officer Alvaro Zabaleta estimated around 20 cars submerged in the lake. However, he noted that the exact count would only be confirmed once each vehicle is retrieved.
While the police do not expect to find bodies or evidence of violent crime, they will thoroughly investigate all possibilities. The first car retrieved, a 2002 Acura, had been reported stolen, leading the police to suspect that most of the vehicles could be linked to crimes such as theft, abandonment, or insurance fraud.
The retrieved vehicles, including a Ford Crown Victoria, an Econoline E-350, and a Cadillac DeVille, are all 10 to 15 years old. According to Zabaleta, the area was a desolate business district when the cars were dumped, making it an ideal spot for such activities. Today, the area is developed, and the lake can only be accessed from a single point behind a medical practice on Northwest 12th Terrace.
Despite the unexpected findings, members of the department’s cold case squad were present during the retrieval operation. Zabaleta emphasized that they would not rule out the possibility of finding evidence of a violent crime at the bottom of the lake.