Michael Sebastian
Buying a home can be a stressful experience, and for Audrey, a Midwest resident who recently moved to a new state, it was particularly nerve-wracking when she feared she had discovered a murder scene in her new home.
Shortly after moving in, Audrey and her husband found a leak in one of the rooms. When her husband started to rip up the floor to address the issue, they discovered a large, dark red stain in the corner of the room, prompting Audrey to worry that someone had been “smurdered” there.
Audrey shared her discovery in a viral TikTok video, where she expressed her fears and showed the stain along with bare footprints leading away from it. She admitted she was “freaking out” and hoped the stain was just paint, though its presence under the tiles made her uncertain.
The video quickly gained traction, amassing over 13 million views, 1.7 million likes, and tens of thousands of comments, many of which urged her to call the police.
Responding to the situation, Audrey contacted the local police, who sent a detective to investigate. The detective conducted tests and later confirmed that the stain was not human blood. While the police suspected it might be painted, they advised Audrey not to disturb the room further in case additional photographs or tests were needed.
Despite the police’s findings, the situation left Audrey shaken. Speaking to Newsweek, she expressed disbelief that a crime could have occurred in her home but acknowledged the possibility due to certain conditions of the house. Audrey mentioned that she did not ask the real estate agent if anyone had died in the home, a disclosure that is not mandatory in her state unless the buyer inquires.
The intense online reaction added to Audrey’s stress. She confessed that the overwhelming number of comments, with multiple comments per minute, made it difficult to keep up. Nonetheless, the incident highlights the anxiety that can accompany moving into a new home and the power of social media in amplifying personal experiences.
Thankfully, Audrey’s experience did not turn out to be a murder scene, but it serves as a reminder of the many homicides that occur annually in the United States.
According to a 2023 report from Statista, California had the highest number of reported homicides in 2022, with 2,197 cases, followed by Texas with 2,020. In contrast, Wyoming reported only 14 homicides, illustrating the varied crime rates across different states.
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