An Ohio mother’s backyard renovation took a sinister turn after police were called to investigate a mysterious rug buried in the yard.
Katie Santry, of Columbus Ohio, began sharing a series of TikTok videos after tripping on carpet about two feet underground while digging holes to put up a new fence.
She called the police to keep her peace of mind, and although they were initially not too concerned about the discovery, detectives returned to her home on Friday with K-9 dogs and excavation equipment.
The sister of missing Columbus man Dennis ‘Danny’ Fout, who disappeared in the area five years ago, was among onlookers at the scene and told NBC4 she is “hopeful” about the investigation.
After digging for hours, police revealed Friday afternoon that no remains were found and that they were finishing the excavation.
Still, millions of true crime fans are tuning into every minute update Santry delivers on social media.
While his pre-mystery videos were viewed by a few thousand people each, his “what’s on the carpet” series is racking up seven million views per video.
About 100,000 TikTok users tuned in to his live stream of cadaver dogs at work. She gasped audibly as the first dog sat down right near the hole.
“But when they sit down that means something, right?” Santry asked one of the officers at his home.
“Usually,” he said.
Katie Santry, from Columbus Ohio, began sharing a series of TikTok videos after tripping on the carpet about two feet underground.
Sections of Santry’s backyard were cordoned off on Thursday and police promised to return to continue their investigation on Friday.
A second dog was brought in and it also sat in the same spot, indicating that something was wrong.
Columbus Division of Police spokeswoman Jennifer Watson told the Columbus’s Office that “it could be anything” buried at the site.
‘It could be body oil, it could be sweat. It could be blood, maybe like a cut or a paper cut, something as minor as that. “Right now, we don’t know what we’re seeing.”
While it might be insignificant, police are still “treating it as seriously as possible.”
Officers were seen circling his home as the investigation resumed.
“There’s a tent set up and there are nine police officers and CSIs in the backyard,” he said.
“No stone can be left unturned in these incidents, so we just want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence,” Watson said.
Sections of Santry’s backyard were cordoned off on Thursday and police promised to return to continue their investigation on Friday.
She provided another update Friday morning, sharing video of officers circling her home as the investigation resumed.
“There’s a tent set up and there are nine police officers and CSIs in the backyard,” he said.
‘Homicides and missing people are here, and the CSI is taking out the shovels.
“They’ve blocked how far I can go.”
Live feeds captured much of the excavation on Friday, showing officers at work as crowds of neighbors and onlookers gathered.
More than 30,000 people tuned into a live ABC broadcast, demanding answers about any possible findings.
Katie said they started digging two hours ago. If they’re still there, they’ve found something,” one online detective suggested.
“If it was nothing, they wouldn’t be there so long,” said another.
At midday, Santry provided another update revealing that police had just brought in an excavator to continue the search.