A sea of cars and trucks found submerged in a Pembroke Park lake are being plucked from the water one by one. 

The Broward Sheriff's Office Dive and Rescue Team worked all day Tuesday to remove vehicles from the underwater auto graveyard, which is in a lake just west of Interstate 95 between Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Pembroke Road. The water is 50 feet deep in places, and the embankment is steep. 

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Investigators said most of the cars found in the lake were either stolen or abandoned for insurance fraud purposes. 

Sam Lapinsky, of the BSO Dive and Rescue Team, said at least 25 cars were found in the lake.

Lapinsky used sonar equipment to scan the bottom of the lake, creating a map that helped the team to pinpoint the locations of vehicles fairly quickly. 

"Some of the cars are stacked on top of each other, so you have to be careful when you're working around vehicles like that because they may be unstable," Lapinsky said. 

The lake caught the attention of investigators in October when a mother and her 3-year-old daughter were rescued from the lake after their car plunged into the water. 

"When our divers went in after the rescue was done and our divers went in to recover the vehicle, they bumped into another vehicle," Lapinsky said. 

Investigators believe the cars could answer some questions in previous cases. 

"When we solve those missing persons cases, it makes it all worth it," Lapinsky said. "To know the mystery is over for someone -- now they can put it to bed. They don't have to wonder anymore what happened." 

Uncovering the secrets of the lake is a job shared by tow truck drivers, divers, homicide detectives, auto experts, medical examiners and forensic experts. The results of the investigation are pending.