The DMC-12, better known as the one and only DeLorean, is a special car not for its performance, but for its cultural value. Named after John Z. DeLorean, a famous car designer in his own right, the DeLorean was the only model ever produced by the company. With gull-wing doors and a stainless steel body, it was the most futuristic car of 1981.

Its starring role in the Back to the Future series solidified its value as a piece of Americana, and today clean examples can fetch $30,000 or more on the market, and there are always buyers. So why is one slowly rotting away in a Northern California field? That’s the question posed by these pictures, which first surfaced on a Pontiac Fiero forum.

The DeLorean is covered in many years worth of muck and forest debris, and was first discovered in 2009. It is supposedly still there today, sitting on private land, and attempts to track down the owner have proven fruitless. With a VIN number, it might be possible to track down the owner, and thanks to its stainless steel body, this DeLorean certainly is salvageable.

But it leaves you wondering, what is the story here? Are the stories about DeLoreans being used to smuggle cocaine true? Did the owner die, or forget about it, or maybe they’re on the run? Or perhaps this is the remnants of Doc Brown’s latest experiment? Whatever the story, it’s a sad sight to behold, and hopefully someone can save this nostalgic car before it’s too late.