Sinkhole in Idaho garage uncovers secret room

A family in Idaho uncovered a secret room after their garage floor caved in. (Courtesy of EastIdahoNews.com)

When Idaho homeowner Brittany Bush and her husband heard a loud noise in the early hours of January 9, they thought someone was trying to break into their house. When they found nothing amiss and went back to bed.

Hours later, a trip to the garage of their Idaho Falls home uncovered the reason behind the early morning alarm.

“They said don’t be alarmed if there is a body down there."

— Brittany Bush

“As I was pushing the garage door open, my right foot was stepping into the garage and just kept going down,” Brittany Bush told EastIdahoNews.com. “I was holding onto the garage door and looked down and just started screaming. I’m like, ‘Our whole garage is sunk down!'”

However, it was what they found in the giant sinkhole that shocked them more than the sinkhole itself. Under the rubble of their own things, the Bushes uncovered a secret room with shelving units that held children’s toys, a woman’s handbag, hair curlers and a letter.

Under the rubble, they found shelving units that held children’s toys, a woman’s handbag, hair curlers and a letter. (Courtesy of EastIdahoNews.com)

“[The room] doesn’t appear on any city or county records,” Brittany Bush said.

After a call to their insurance provider, an engineer came to inspect the damage.

Brittany Bush said the engineer found the cement of the garage floor was only two inches thick and was surprised it had not caved in sooner. He said it was not a bomb shelter and that there was a possibility of a second hidden room in the house.

“Our home was built in the 50s and it was built as a basement home,” she told the newspaper. “Then someone came in the 70’s and remodeled it and added the second story.”

She added: “[The engineer] says this looks sketchy and is wondering what the backstory is.”

The homeowners said the secret room does not appear in any city or county records.

The Bushes said they are working on cleaning up the mess and hope they don’t find something sinister.

“They said don’t be alarmed if there is a body down there,” Brittany Bush said. “We hope there’s not but if there is stop what you’re doing and call the police.”