Jun 11, 2009 9:40 pm US/Pacific
Police Excavation In SJ Has Possible Cold Case Tie
SAN JOSE (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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Scene of the police digging in Alviso.
CBS
Los Altos police on Thursday wrapped up an around-the-clock mysterious excavation in an unincorporated part of San Jose that had fueled speculation it was related to a murder 20 years ago where the body was never found.
A fence and crime scene tape enclosed several giant mounds of dirt dug up by bulldozers from the field, located on Wilson Way near the intersection of Grand.
Neighbors of the site in Alviso had been curious since the digging started last week. The size of the dig grew and grew.
"It's strange," resident Geraldine Maxey said. "I walk past that empty lot many, many, many times since I've lived here."
Los Altos police referred all questions to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Moises Reyes Jr., a criminal investigator for the D.A. said the office would not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Some have speculated authorities were looking for a buried body or a car that might be related to the disappearance of 31-year-old Dawn Sanchez.
She was last seen leaving a Los Altos hotel Aug. 30, 1991.
Sanchez's friend, Bernardo Bass, 48, was arrested in 1991 in connection with her disappearance but the case was dismissed the following year due to insufficient evidence.
Bass was arrested again in 2007 and charged with her murder. He is currently awaiting trial on Sept. 21, although so far no body has been found.
Police allege that Bass shot and killed Sanchez during an argument and later disposed of her body. Bass has pleaded not guilty to the crime.
Bass' defense attorney Dennis Lempert maintains his client was not involved in Sanchez's disappearance and said that it is likely she may still be alive and working as a prostitute, as she did before she disappeared.
"I suppose anything in the world is possible," Lempert said. "There is no evidence that this lady is dead."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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