A mystery Mustang that spent more than a decade underwater has just been pulled from a Michigan lake, and police are hoping the public can help solve the puzzle.
The red 1997 Mustang was discovered submerged in Belleville Lake near Rawsonville Road in Van Buren Township, where authorities believe it may have been for 15 to 20 years.
Despite its long stay at the bottom of the lake, no human remains were found inside.
Now, with the vehicle’s VIN recovered, investigators are piecing together what happened.
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There were clues in the Mystery Mustang
The Van Buren Township Public Safety Department shared news of the find on Facebook, noting the car was pulled from the water on July 28.
Their own dive team, which trains in the lake regularly, spotted the vehicle and carried out the underwater work to prepare it for retrieval.
Once cables were attached, road workers hoisted the mystery Mustang back to dry land.
Van Buren Township Public Safety Department
Sergeant Ryan McCormick, speaking to Fox 2 Detroit, said it was ‘unbelievable’ and that the team estimated the car had been sitting at the bottom of the lake for at least 15 years.
Of course, this is not the first car that has been found in a lake years after it went missing.
Earlier this year, a Portland man’s beloved Chevy Corvette C3 was found in a lake 20 years after it went missing.
In an even crazier story, one of the most well-known Bugattis ever spent 70 years at the bottom of a lake, before it resurfaced last year.
Luckily, the Mustang’s vehicle identification number (VIN) helped dispel any crazy theories regarding the car’s dip in the water, as it allowed the police to confirm that the car had been carjacked 25 years ago.
A rare 1997 Mustang Cobra
While they’ve yet to release further details publicly, authorities are looking closely at the mystery Mustang’s configuration.
The hood and front bumper appear to match those of a 1997 Mustang Cobra, a model that was fairly limited in production.
Van Buren Township Public Safety Department
Only 3,088 Cobras were built that year, and fewer than 1,000 were painted red like the one found in the lake.
That rare combination could help narrow down leads, especially if the original owner can confirm whether the Cobra parts were stock or added after the fact.
Still, officials admit that tracking down whoever dumped the car after the theft won’t be easy, especially if the thief isn’t incompetent.
With so much time passed, and few clues about when it was placed in the lake, the trail could be cold.
However, for the owner of the car, there might be some good news.
A 1993 Mustang Cobra that was left in a shipping container for almost three decades recently got a total makeover, so it’s possible his car can do the same.
And while severe water damage is normally a death sentence for cars, this man managed to retrieve a submerged Lamborghini Aventador from a lake, and actually got the engine running.
While the chances are slim, perhaps there’s still a glimmer of hope.
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