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Why police spent hours digging up backyard on Detroit’s east side

Numerous abandoned homes are in the two-block area

DETROIT – Officials say they’re digging up the backyard of a home on Detroit’s east side due to a cold case investigation involving a missing person.

Neighbors who didn’t want to be identified said a group of men live in the home in the 13800 block of Pinewood Street. As of 11 p.m. Monday (April 22), police confirmed they found nothing during the dig.

Neighbors told Local 4 they didn’t know what to think when two backhoes appeared on Pinewood Street and a fleet of Detroit police squad cars along with Michigan State Police.

Over 10 hours later, they’re still puzzled as the backhoes dug up the freshly poured concrete in the backyard.

Officials say police dogs were brought in at different intervals to work the scene. Within the last year, a high fence and freshly poured concrete were put up around the property.

Neighbors said the men typically keep to themselves but are known for driving sports cars into the rear of the property, repeatedly doing donuts, and being loud.

Numerous abandoned homes are in the two-block area.

Detroit police are typically fairly upfront when they’re conducting a dig. This time, all they’ll say is that the search on Pinewood Street was connected to an ongoing investigation, which we later found out was due to the cold case.