Why Katie Santry's backyard rug is going viral on TikTok

Columbus police are investigating a strange find buried in the backyard of a Columbus woman’s East Side home after her videos went viral on TikTok.

“It could be anything,” Columbus Division of Police spokeswoman Jennifer Watson said Friday.

Katie Santry was digging holes for a fence in her backyard when she came across what looked like a buried carpet, she said in a video posted to TikTok earlier this week. She also joked that her house might be haunted, saying her laptop was broken and items had been misplaced.

Santry’s first video has over 3 million views and her entire chain of more than 20 clips about the carpet mystery has accumulated over 100 million views.

The investigation continued Friday morning with a significant police and media presence in the cul-de-sac outside Santry’s home. A few groups of curious neighbors and onlookers gathered nearby, filming videos and discussing news.

Passing cars slowed down and many drivers held their phones out the windows to take photos and videos.

Columbus police get involved

Several TikTok users urged Santry to contact police as her videos went viral and Columbus police visited the property on Thursday.

Santry streamed the investigation live on TikTok, including moments when two cadaver dogs sat down after sniffing part of the yard. Cadaver dogs are often trained to sit to signal that they have discovered human remains. Santry said at least 100,000 people watched the livestream.

“I’m still hoping that maybe someone had a bloody nose on a carpet and buried it,” she wrote in a caption.

Watson said the dogs could have pointed out different things.

“It could be body oil,” Watson said. “It could be sweat. It could be blood, maybe a nick or a paper cut, something like that is so insignificant. So at the moment we don’t know what we’re seeing.”

Who are the previous owners of Katie Santry’s house?

The Dispatch contacted the home’s previous owner — a 95-year-old Ohio resident named Myron Weil — who said police called his family on Thursday. He said he and his wife did a lot of gardening and wondered if they had accidentally discovered a buried burlap sack.

He added that they were both confused by the whole ordeal and that the attention he paid to his wife upset him.

Related article:The Columbus Police Department’s emergency hotline is back in service after being temporarily taken out of service

“The police called us yesterday and asked some questions,” said Weil. “They also spoke to my son. Neither of us could remember anything that was buried.”

Why Katie Santry’s backyard rug is going viral on TikTok

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