Missing Woman’s Body Found Buried In Her Neighbor’s Backyard: Police

The body of a 59-year-old California woman who had been missing for several days was exhumed Thursday in the backyard of a man who resided near her, police said.

Micah James Dovlet, 34, of Milpitas, California, was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of homicide in the death of Tuyet Anh Phan, NBC Bay Area reported, citing police.

On Monday, police received a phone call requesting a welfare check on the victim at her residence at a mobile home park in Milpitas. The person who contacted police said she was concerned because she had not heard from Phan for several days.

A Milpitas police officer then went to check on the woman at her home but did not find anything suspicious. A missing person investigation was launched, and officers later met with the victim's family.

Neighbors of the victim told officers they heard screaming in the immediate area early morning on Jan. 29, but the information was not provided to the Milpitas Police Department at the time, according to a statement from the department.

During their investigation, officers found evidence of a violent crime near the victim’s home Tuesday morning. Detectives took over the investigation, police said. Dovlet, who lived near the victim, was detained at the time.

That same day, a search of the victim’s home and Dovlet’s home indicated a homicide occurred, and Dovlet was later arrested, according to authorities. The victim's body had not yet been recovered.

On Wednesday, detectives developed information on the location of the victim. The following day, officers secured and searched Dovlet’s home a second time.

The victim’s body was eventually found buried in the backyard, according to police. Crime scene investigators and technicians from multiple agencies worked with Milpitas police in the investigation.

Phan worked at a McDonald's across the street from City Hall and was described by neighbor Suong Ly as a "good person."

"She's always working at nighttime," Ly said.

Ly added that her sister heard a loud bang coming from Phan's home Saturday night, but no one called the police to report it.

"I feel guilty… because that night I [didn’t] call 911," Ly said.

The case remains under investigation, and the Milpitas Police Department is seeking help from the public for any information related to the crime.

Those with leads are 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 www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/crimetip.