Earlier this week, a vintage Bentley got pulled from the depths of a South Florida lake, intriguing local investigators. However, the Bentley was only the tip of the iceberg. Over a dozen mysterious cars resurfaced from the same lake over the next few days. Now multiple cold cases are reopening in hopes that these shadowy, submerged cars might shed some light on unsolved crimes. 

Why are there so many mysterious cars at the bottom of this lake? 

Why these specific cars are at the bottom of this specific lake is still unknown by investigators. However, we know why cars usually end up at the bottom of lakes. 

The waterways of Southern Florida are numerous, treacherous, and murky. Because of this, it is common for all sorts of things to be deposited there in hopes of never being seen again. In fact, people love to ditch incriminating evidence in the waterways across the world. But South Florida is a particularly hot destination for such things. 

“Waterways is a pretty common place for vehicles or evidence or anything to go missing if you’re either trying to hide it or stay hidden,” said Alexander Beer, chief diver of the Broward Sheriff’s Office dive rescue team.

How did these mysterious cars get found? 

After her nephew went missing, Allison McManus started the organization, Guardians for the Missing back in 2006. 

In an interview with WSVN News, McManus said. “My family had to hire a helicopter. We hired divers. We did everything we could to locate him… After six months, Broward Sherriff’s Office did finally locate him in a canal off U.S. 27.” 

She has turned her horrific experience into a nonprofit organization that assists people in finding their missing loved ones. 

“We search waterways, canals, ponds, lakes, wherever the area they were last seen or where we think they were headed,” said McManus. “I have a small boat with side-scan sonar. I have a diver that comes out and helps me.” 

It was the Guardians for the Missing that led authorities to the discovery of the creepy lake of submerged cars. The sheriff’s office took over after the group reported the discovery. 

“Know that there are at least eight vehicles in this lake behind me. There’s another lake to my left that have a few more vehicles in it,” said Beer. “Probably the number one challenge is visibility. Normally we’re working in very low to no visibility, meaning that you can see six inches in front of your face on a good day.”

How do you get a sunken car out of the water? 

After the Guardians or local police discover a vehicle underwater, they hook tow cables to the car, in this case, the vintage Bentley. It isn’t dissimilar to winching a mud truck from a bog. McManus mentions that often a missing car can be the smoking gun that ties a crime scene together, hence the effort to sink it in the first place. 

It is clear that McManus simply wants to offer others the same peace of mind that comes with locating a lost loved one. Although many of these submerged cars aren’t likely to have a happy ending, learning the truth can help people to heal and move forward after such hopelessness and tragedy. 

While we still don’t know what will come of this batch of sunken cars, hopefully, this discovery can end in healing and answers for families. And with some extra luck, they could even lead to justice.