“I’m scared to be here alone,” Charnita Matthews confessed after finding an occupant’s belongings in her basement

NEED TO KNOW

• A family in Hemet, Calif., discovered someone living in a hidden basement beneath their rental home
• The intruder used the home’s electricity and left behind items like a fan, cleaning products and a tarp
• The family reported the incident to police and was asked to alert authorities if they see anyone in the space

A Southern California family discovered an intruder was living below their home.

Charnita Matthews knew something was amiss in her Hemet, Calif., home when she consistently heard an alarm going off, she told KTLA on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Matthews, her husband and their four children began renting the home in May, KTLA reported. Matthews told the outlet that she has heard alarms and doors closing in other areas of the home where she was not.

Eventually, her husband and her brother-in-law, Dangelo Phillips, followed the sound to the home’s backyard deck, uncovering a basement with an occupant’s fan, various cleaning products and “a tarp and a black tube that looked like it had some drugs in it,” Phillips told KTLA.

The person also used the home’s electricity, as Matthews told KTLA she saw the person’s fan plugged into a wall.

The Hemet Police Department was alerted, and they sent an officer to investigate. They told Matthews’ family to keep them informed if they saw anyone in the space.

Since removing the wooden board that served as a makeshift boundary, Matthews hasn’t seen anyone on site, she said. However, she remains concerned for her family’s safety.

“I’m scared to be here alone,” she said, noting that she expected more from the rental home’s management company, Pro Management. She said she was never informed of the basement space.

“I feel like management should have done better because I have four children, and my husband travels,” Matthews said.

She alerted Pro Management of the incident and alleged the company hasn’t replied.

However, a representative from Pro Management told KTLA the company was not made aware of the situation. A supervisor from the company later told the news outlet they did a walk-through of the property with code enforcement personnel before the Matthews family moved in and did not find any sign of anyone living underneath. Pro Management has contacted Matthews and is now investigating the situation, they told KTLA.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

PEOPLE reached out to Pro Management and the Hemet Police Department for comment.

#Family #Discovers #Person #Living #House #Electricity #Hearing #Strange #Noises