The Mysterious Buried Rug: A True Crime Mystery Goes Viral
A recent viral sensation on TikTok has left the internet enthralled, with a buried rug in a backyard sparking theories about a potential dead body or innocent explanation. The story began when Katie Santry, a TikTokker from Columbus, Ohio, posted a video about her laptop getting shattered and workspace disturbed overnight, seemingly without explanation. Toward the end of the video, Santry mentioned that she and her boyfriend had recently discovered a rug buried in their backyard while digging to install a fence.
The video gained over 4 million views, leading to a series of follow-ups that racked up tens of millions of views. As the story unfolded, Santry tried to dig more, but the rug was too big and too long for her to dig out. The comment section convinced her to call the police, who initially told her it seemed weird but there wasn’t much to do. Santry kept digging, enlisting friends and getting in touch with family members of the previous owners of the home.
Eventually, the local homicide department got involved, sending officers and cadaver dogs to the property. Santry said both dogs sat by the hole in the ground, indicating they had found something. The internet was left wondering what could be buried beneath the rug, with theories ranging from a dead body to a junkyard or a dead dog.
In an interview with People, Santry said the internet was split 50/50 on whether it was a dead body or an animal, with 10% thinking it was a junkyard. However, she didn’t think it was a body, saying, "I truly don’t think there’s a dead body down there. The curiosity about why that rug is there definitely haunts me. But my biggest concern is my computer because, at the end of the day, it shattered for no apparent reason."
On Friday, Santry posted videos saying that officers had come to her house and were prepared to dig. Around 11 a.m. ET, she posted a video saying the digging had begun. By 2 p.m. ET, Santry revealed that the cops had found only the rug, some rubber, and nothing else of consequence. It’s unclear why the dogs got a hit in the yard, but it doesn’t seem to be for any nefarious reason. Santry still wondered what happened to her laptop, but there was definitely a sense of relief. "There’s no body. There’s no body," she said. "Honestly, let’s praise the lord there’s no body. I can stay in my house."
