UPDATE: Milpitas Police Reveal Grim Details About Shocking Homicide; Victim's Body Found Buried in Backyard
MILPITAS (CBS SF) -- Detectives have begun unraveling a gruesome murder in a Milpitas mobile home park after the body of missing 59-year-old woman was discovered buried in a makeshift backyard grave and a neighbor was charged with the stunning slaying.
The mystery began to unfold for detectives on Monday, when they got a call from a concerned relative of the woman who lived in No. 18 at the Mobilodge of Milpitas.
"She was concerned that she had not heard from the victim in several days," said Lt. Tyler Jamison.
So officers were dispatched, knocked on the door, but got no answer.
According to court documents, officers returned to the neighborhood the next day. They door knocked on neighbors homes including across the street where Micah Dovlet lived.
While talking with the 34-year-old Dovlet, officers noticed he had scratches on his arm. He agreed to go to the police station for questioning.
When officers obtained a search warrant for Dovlet's home, they found bloody sheets in the trash can as well as traces of blood in his truck and bathroom. Dovlet has since been charged with murder.
On Tuesday, they returned with a cadaver dog that alerted them to a pile of fresh dirt in the Dovlet's backyard. They then found the woman's body. Dovlet has confessed according to court documents and told detectives that the murder happened early Saturday morning. They were still working on a motive.
To ensure privacy for the victim's family, the Milpitas police said they will not be releasing her identity.
Neighbors at Mobilodge were stunned. Mobilodge is a third of a mile from the Milpitas Police Department and neighbors told KPIX they often leave their doors unlocked.
"I was just dumbfounded. I mean you see that on tv. You see that on the crime scene things, but not here. This was unreal," said neighbor Phyllis Caswell.
That timeline adds up for neighbors Wilma and Valfin Guarin. They had screaming at 4 a.m., but assumed it was noise from nearby Milpitas Boulevard.
"We don't know where the voice is coming from because there is no "help" - just screaming and then suddenly crying," said Wilma
Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact the Milpitas Police Department at (408) 586-2400 or leave an anonymous tip at the department's crime tip hotline at (408) 586-2500 or via the police department's website at: http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/crimetip
