NorCal man accused of killing neighbor and burying her in his backyard

MILPITAS, Calif. (TCD) -- A Northern California man was charged with murder over the weekend after police say he allegedly killed a woman in his neighborhood and buried her body in his backyard.

The Milpitas Police Department said in a statement they received a call on Jan. 31 to conduct a welfare check on a 59-year-old female victim because the caller had not heard from the victim in several days. Officers reportedly went to the victim’s residence and "did not locate her or anything suspicious at the home." As officers canvassed the neighborhood, some people said they "heard a female a screaming in the area," but no one informed police at the time.

As police continued their investigation, they reportedly found evidence that "led them to believe a crime of violence occurred involving the victim." Detectives from the Milpitas Police Department eventually took over the investigation and detained 34-year-old Micah James Dovlet. Milpitas Police said Dovlet "lived near the victim."

KNTV-TV identified the victim as Tuyet Anh Phan.

According to the Milpitas Police Department’s statement, detectives discovered physical evidence at Dovlet’s home but could not find Phan. The evidence, however, "indicated a homicide occurred," so they arrested Dovlet and booked him into the Santa Clara County Jail for murder.

On Feb. 3, detectives received information about Phan’s location. They obtained a search warrant for Dovlet’s residence and found Phan’s body, which they "exhumed from the backyard."

Santa Clara County Jail records show Dovlet is being held in the Santa Clara County Jail without bail.

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