Portland, OR—For Wyatt Lanford, 28, life in his affordable, “beautiful” apartment had been a quiet reprieve from urban chaos—until a terrifying discovery unraveled his sense of security. What began as peculiar occurrences, like missing packages and eerie noises, spiraled into the chilling revelation that a squatter had been secretly living in his apartment building’s basement for weeks.
“They always felt like urban legends,” Lanford shared in a now-viral TikTok video. “Then I moved to Portland, and it became my reality.”
A Disturbing Discovery Unfolds
Lanford, who relocated to Portland from Flagstaff, AZ, described his building as a secure haven in a mixed neighborhood, complete with a passcode entry system and round-the-clock security. However, in late November, a construction project near the building opened an unintended door.
“Someone let a person who was clearly unwell into our building,” Lanford explained. At first, this intruder seemed like a fleeting disturbance, quickly removed by security. Management reassured residents by changing the entry codes, but strange incidents continued.