Police wrapped up the on-site investigation into a car that was found buried in an Atherton backyard. The vehicle was removed on Saturday and taken to the San Mateo County crime lab for further investigation. While no human remains were found, a cadaver dog still picked up on the scent of human remains, according to a police press release issued Monday.

When asked if records show that the owner of the car got an insurance payout after reporting it missing in 1992, Atherton Police Chief Steve McCulley said he is assuming that information will be part of a "case closed" press release.

Police expect it to take about three to four weeks to put such a release, he said in an email Monday.

The home was previously owned by the late Johnny Bocktune Lew, who had a long criminal history that included the murder of his mistress, Karen Gervasi, in 1965. The second-degree murder verdict was overturned by the California Supreme Court in 1967 due to an error in admitting hearsay statements.

A tow truck hauled the car, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, away from the home in the 300 block of Stockbridge Avenue, and brought it to the San Mateo County Crime Lab in San Mateo for further inspection and processing. A cadaver dog again made notification of possible human remains, although further excavation at the site did not reveal any such remains.

On Sunday, investigators used ground penetrating radar technology — radar pulses that image the subsurface — according to the National Park Service. This did not reveal anything unusual or suspicious at the scene and no human remains were found, police said.

Police received a call Thursday at around 8:50 a.m. when landscapers discovered the buried car at the home in the West of Alameda neighborhood, according to an Atherton Police Department press release. It was publicly identified Friday as a Mercedes-Benz convertible with its top down. Bags of cement were found throughout the car, including in the trunk, police said on Friday.

Police said the car was reported missing to the Palo Alto Police Department in September 1992. The possible owner of the vehicle is believed to be dead, but Atherton police are waiting for DMV records to be retrieved from its archives to get confirmation.

A cadaver dog signaled that there could be human remains in the vicinity of the car on Thursday and Friday, police said.

The home was built in 1990 on a 1.63-acre lot, records show, and was sold in 2014 for $7.4 million and again in 2020 for $15 million. Lew owned the home from 1990 to 2014, records show. This news organization is not publishing the exact address to protect the owner's privacy.

The town issued a permit for a landscape screening — plantings, shrubbery, bushes or other foliage intended to act as a privacy screen — on the property in September, according to public records.

The car was buried before the current homeowner occupied the residence, police said. The current homeowner could be reached for comment.

The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation, police said.

To read more on this ongoing police investigation, go to AlmanacNews.com, Palo Alto Online's sister news site.