A family in California thought they were settling into a new rental home but stumbled upon a hidden area beneath the property that might have been used by an unfamiliar person.
Charnita Matthews expressed her fears about staying home alone with her four children, particularly when her husband was away. She felt that the property management should have taken better precautions.
The Matthews family had been renting their home in Hemet, Riverside County, for about three months when they began hearing strange noises that raised concerns. “If I’m in another part of the house, I can hear the door slamming,” she mentioned.
Eventually, the family traced the persistent sounds to an unexpected spot beneath their backyard deck. Her husband, along with his brother-in-law D’Angelo Phillips, pried off some wooden planks and uncovered what seemed to be a large cellar.
The discovery was alarming. Inside, they found cleaning supplies like bleach and soap, alongside items indicating someone had been using the space. There was also a tarp and a black tube that appeared to hold drugs.
According to Phillips, the fact that the hidden area had access to electricity—evidenced by a fan connected inside—was particularly unsettling. “You can see a door there with a fan connected to it,” Matthews noted. “So they’re using my electricity.”
Matthews stated that she had not been informed about this space when she signed the lease. After contacting Pro Management, the property management company, she received no response.
Upon discovering the hidden area, Matthews notified a family member, and the Hemet Police Department dispatched officers to the scene. “They told me to call them if I saw anyone downstairs,” she recalled.
Since they removed the planks, Matthews hasn’t seen anyone going in or out of the space, which hasn’t completely eased her worries. She remains anxious about who might have known about the area and whether it could be used by others. Neighbors commented to KTLA that they weren’t surprised by the discovery, mentioning that the home had seen many tenants come and go, including one with reported issues.
