After a weekend of examining the car buried on the grounds of an Atherton estate, authorities have ruled out human remains being inside, NBC Bay Area has learned.
It took two full days and part of a third to excavate the car from the backyard of the $15 million mansion.
The car owner, Johnny Lew, bought the Mercedes in 1990 for $88,000. He then reported it stolen in 1992 and collected the insurance money. He's also the original owner of the estate where it was buried.
Investigative sources involved in the case said bags of cement that had been placed inside the car before it was buried opened up and solidified on the passenger side of the convertible. Investigators are having to chip away at that cement to look for evidence.
The county medical examiner said it’s a painstaking process.
"There's no indication that there are bodies or a body or bodies in the vehicle. And if they are, they will notify my office," said San Mateo Coroner Robert Foucrault.
Court records show Lew told federal investigators he was part of the triad, the Chinese mafia, which makes this whole scenario even more mysterious.
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