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Nov 24, 2008 3:59 pm US/Central
Detectives Dig Up BMW From 12-Foot-Deep Hole
Reporting
Jack Fink
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
What lies beneath a North Texas ranch that attracted a team of investigators? They solved the mystery only after unearthing it.
Buried in a giant hole on a ranch near Stephenville lay a well kept secret. Tommy Reed, a special agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau said it had "been in the ground for nearly two years. It was in bad shape."
Investigators initially only found a muddy mess. They brought in a backhoe and started digging. Reed said, "There was trash exposed. It was six to seven (feet) down, and we had to dig another four to five feet to get it out."
The mangled metal detectives unearthed was the remains of a 2000 BMW 740i 12 feet beneath the ground. The car, which cost $60,000 brand new, was now worthless.
A special agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Fort Worth Police, and the Tarrant Regional Auto Crimes Task Force found it in two pieces.
"I've uncovered vehicles buried before," said Reed. "Stolen vehicles buried before, but not one this deep."
Records show the BMW's owner is Van Lewis, who lives on the ranch. The NICB said Lewis' son filed a bogus police report two years ago, claiming the BMW was stolen from right outside of his Fort Worth house. The group also says Lewis filed a false insurance claim.
"It was nearly eight years old. The insurance company paid $18,800 something for it. It's definitely insurance fraud," said Reed.
While investigators say digging up a car buried 12 feet underground is very rare, they say insurance fraud is a problem all too common.
"The percentage of insurance fraud is up there in the neighborhood of 30 percent," said Reed. "It causes our premiums to go up every year. Everyone pays for this."
CBS 11 News visited the ranch recently and saw Lewis' wife driving out of the property. We tried to ask her about the car, but she wouldn't stop. Her son also has not returned our calls.
Detectives are still investigating and haven't filed any charges yet.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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