OC county park, September 8 2018 copyright Douglas Stockdale
I had stated in my Summer 2018 update earlier this week that I had found what the local OC Sheriff’s office is calling a “shallow grave” that falls under their category of “suspicious circumstances”. Although I am not a photo-journalist, I have now decided that perhaps this site and surrounding area might be a potential project, perhaps taking an inspiration cue from the artist books created by the Russian artist Julia Borissova, such her book Dimitry.
Thus the start of a new project, with the working title Mystery on the Plano Trabuco. So more about this project and potential artist book shortly. Meanwhile, some new events have changed things a bit about this site.
So yesterday I checked with the OC Sheriff’s office and found out that they were not going to investigate what I had found any further. Being the curious type, I went back to this shallow grave this morning to see what might be have occurred there. Hmmmm. No digging or other others probing of this site. So while there, I might take a few more photographs for my new project.
So while walking around to create a large environmental context for this site, I found a SECOND site of what appears just like the first; another old, collapsed shallow grave. YIKES!!
I could not believe its. Another one! Looking like I was going to be making another call to the OC Sheriff. Then I stated thinking, if two, maybe more?? So I started a very wide criss-cross walking pattern over this field. With the early morning light and the long shadows, I discovered another FOUR. WTF! Now SIX of these.
Diffidently need to call the OC Sheriff’s again. Wow, wow, wow.
So I made another call to the OC Sheriff and they wanted to see these additional sites, so another walk in the field to show the officers what I had found. They really only wanted to see two more to confirm there are multiple sites in this field. They also shared that they have already had the cadaver dogs run this field and did not get any “hits”. So appears that this is curious, but that the OC Sheriff’s are probably not going to do anything further, even with the fact there are six of these suspicious old collapsed shallow gave sites. Btw, what I also realized after the fact; the third of these sites I showed the officers was NOT one I found earlier today, so that takes it up to SEVEN of these sites in this field. Wow! And the Sheriff’s office does not appear that they are going to do anything further. hmmmmm.
Okay, that really confirms for me that there is a Mystery on the Plano Trabuco!
Singular Images 
Is there a local native history group that could help with research? Has anybody been over the area with a metal detector? Could they be war graves? Was there bootleggng or prohibition activity in that area? raise all sorts of questions. I live in Australia and I love your mystery.
Looking to connect with a couple of local history buffs. This area does have some early history with the Spanish and subsequent coastal raiders looking for loot from the local mission (which was relocated to this exact area in the 1870’s)
The area has been scanned with metal detectors since this area is part of a decommissioned WWII practice bombing range used by the US Marines, so it had to be scanned for used military ordnance (bombs and later rockets) before this park could be opened to the public. Also relates to another of my projects: “Gardening for Ordnance” about choosing to live in the middle of a decommission military bombing range, which was what took me out to the field & how I found these “suspicious circumstances”. Thanks for your continuing interest!