Buried carpet sparks police investigation and internet speculation

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Police are investigating a home where a buried carpet in videos has sparked internet speculation with millions of views.

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Columbus police said officers went to the home in the 800 block of Cummington Road around 6:23 p.m., where they conducted a “preliminary investigation.” Police used K-9 resources in their search and said they would return Friday to conduct further investigation.

Police are not saying what was found, saying there are “inconclusive results.”

The search began after homeowner Katie Santry and her boyfriend began digging to build a fence. Eventually they found a carpet buried in the ground. She didn’t think much of it, but said strange things started happening afterward.

Her computer screen was shattered and the items on her desk appeared to be displaced. That’s when she opened TikTok and started making jokes about a corpse in the carpet and her ghost haunting her house. Her videos have since been viewed millions of times, with one video reaching over 7.5 million views.

“The whole world told me to let the police come,” Santry told WSYX. “When I called the police and asked them, ‘Hey, would you like to come to my house and look at a carpet,’ I felt insane.”

At first the police left, but as Santry planned to dig up more, she received a call from homicide asking if they could bring sniffer dogs.

She was live on TikTok when dogs started searching her property. Santry said she never thought anything would come of the mysterious carpet, and then the dogs responded.

Over 100,000 people watched Santry’s live stream at the time. “I started shaking.”

She ended her livestream and now police plan to return Friday morning to continue their search.

“Honestly, if I thought for one second that this was going to happen, I probably wouldn’t have done it live,” Santry said.

Columbus police said in a statement that they are conducting a preliminary investigation. “At this point in time there are no conclusive findings.”

Santry is amazed at how many followers her videos have gained. She plans to use her newfound spotlight to raise funds for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.