Volunteer Divers Discover Over 30 Cars Linked to Crimes in Florida Lake
Volunteer divers searching for long-lost missing persons made a shocking discovery in a lake in Doral, Florida. The divers found over 30 cars submerged in the water, potentially linked to various crimes over the past few decades. This unexpected find has prompted police involvement and the extraction process has begun, with homicide detectives on standby.
The Role of Citizen Detectives
When a case goes cold, law enforcement agencies often face limitations in their resources and investigative efforts. In some rare cases, citizens take it upon themselves to contribute to solving crimes. In this instance, volunteer divers decided to explore a lake near Doral, Florida, in the hopes of finding clues related to missing persons cases. Their efforts paid off when they discovered 32 cars submerged in the lake, indicating a potential connection to criminal activities.
Ken Flemming, one of the volunteer divers, explained their goals and findings in an interview with WSVN 7. He stated, “We’re here trying to solve missing persons cold cases. 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.” Once the divers made their discovery, they promptly notified the authorities, who took over the operation.
Collaboration with Law Enforcement
The local police department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue collaborated with the volunteer divers to recover the vehicles from the lake. According to police detective Alvaro Zabaleta, they received information from a citizen who had observed numerous vehicles dumped in the lake while diving. Zabaleta stated, “Once we received this information, our divers unit immediately collaborated with other agencies at the police department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue so we could put this operation together in order to be able to recover all of the vehicles.”
The first vehicle retrieved from the water was a stolen 2002 Nissan Altima, which is expected to be a common find among the submerged cars. Zabaleta explained that these vehicles were likely abandoned or stolen for joyrides before being dumped in the lake. However, homicide detectives remain on standby in case any of the cars are linked to ongoing murder investigations. Additionally, some of the vehicles may have been intentionally submerged to hide evidence or commit insurance fraud.
Implications and Investigation
The discovery of these submerged cars opens up a range of possibilities for law enforcement. The salvage effort revealed that many of the vehicles are models from before the year 2000, indicating that they have been in the lake for a significant period. Investigators will now work to identify the vehicles and determine if any of them are connected to specific crimes or missing persons cases.
The investigation into these submerged cars could potentially provide closure to families of missing persons and shed light on unsolved crimes. The involvement of volunteer divers highlights the importance of community engagement in solving cold cases. Their dedication and efforts have brought attention to a hidden underworld of crime in the depths of a Florida lake.
As the extraction process continues and the investigation unfolds, authorities will work diligently to piece together the puzzle surrounding these submerged cars. The potential breakthroughs in solving cold cases and bringing justice to victims and their families make this discovery a significant milestone in the fight against crime.