After leaving their anniversary dinner on the evening of December 7, 1974,[1][2] the original owner of the vehicle, Rosendo Cruz, and his wife, discovered that the vehicle had been stolen. It had been bought only two months earlier, in October, by Cruz, as a present to his wife who had only driven it for about 500 mi (800 km) before it disappeared.[3] In the police report filed afterwards, Cruz stated that after "...noticing a suspicious gleam in the valet’s eye..." he decided to park the car himself some distance from the restaurant.[3]
In February 1978, two boys were playing outside their Los Angeles home, digging in the yard, when one of the boys struck something metallic.[4] They alerted two passing sheriff's deputies, Joe Sabas and Dennis (misreported as Lenny)[2] Carroll, who had a team investigate the object which proved to be a Ferrari Dino.[1] It was initially reported that the car had been stolen in 1974 and buried by the thieves.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the thieves had clumsily attempted to preserve the car by covering it with plastic, tarps, and carpets, but left the windows open.[5] Despite being buried for about three years, the car was reported to be in fairly good condition, although an investigator for Farmers Insurance found this not to be the case, citing corrosion in the body and interior, along with non-burial-related damage to the roof, engine compartment, and windshield that presumably occurred as the car was being recovered.[6]