Mysterious Excavation In San Jose May Be Linked To 1991 Homicide
Posted: 10:40 pm PDT June 10, 2009
Updated: 12:51 am PDT June 11, 2009

SAN JOSE , Calif. -- A mystery unfolded Wednesday night in San Jose where a police excavation reportedly linked to an unsolved 1991 homicide piqued the curiosity of locals living in the residential neighborhood.

The dig is going on near Grand Boulevard and Lafayette Street in the Alviso section of San Jose.

Neighbors say Los Altos police, district attorney investigators and an excavation crew have been there since Monday.

Authorities were digging for something, but would not saying what they are looking for.

And that has sparked a lot of speculation in the neighborhood.

"The rumor is just they found a dead body," said local resident. "I mean what else are they going to find there?"

"All the rumors that I've heard that there's a car buried out here. A dead body with it and something like that," said Jim Whitecar. "Obviously, there is Los Altos police out here so I don't know what happened or what jurisdiction it happened in, but I'm assuming it's Los Altos.

Sources told KTVU News the dig is in connection with the disappearance of 31 year old Dawn Sanchez in September 1991.

Sanchez was last seen leaving the Four Season Motel on the El Camino in Los Altos. That motel no longer exists.

Defense attorney Dennis Lempert said, "I don't expect they will find anything related to this case in Alviso."

Lempert represents the only suspect in the case. Bernardo Bass has been in jail since 2007 charged with the murder of Sanchez.

His attorney said they had a dating relationship and Sanchez had a history of prostitution arrests.

Bass was first arrested when Sanchez disappeared but was released because of insufficient evidence.

Then 15 years later he was re-arrested.

"He has denied guilt in the case of Miss Sanchez," said Lempert. "There's no evidence that she's dead or was murdered and at trial that fact will be vindicated and my client will be released."

Bass was arrested two years ago after police and the FBI conducted another search in the riverbed of Calabasas Creek in Santa Clara and reportedly nothing was found then.

Attorney Lempert has boxes of legal materials accumulated over the years, but says there is no body, no DNA evidence, nothing.

"She may be dead. She may be hiding. She may have changed her name and is living somewhere else. But nobody knows. It is a most bizarre case," said Lempert.

Police did not saying how long they will be digging at the site in Alviso.

The district attorney's office told KTVU News it is not at liberty to comment at this time, but the case is scheduled for trial in September.