Social media videos showed its porch lights blinking in a pattern many viewers read as the Morse code distress signal SOS, according to NBC Chicago. A boarded-up house on a quiet street in Plainfield, Illinois, spent a few days as the internet’s favourite mystery. The windows were covered, nothing moved inside, and the lights kept flashing. Millions watched, and many urged the police to go in. The truth turned out to be much simpler than any of the theories, and it ended with a small act of charity. Here is how the story unfolded.
He filmed the scene and posted it in January, saying he had returned about 15 minutes later and the lights were still blinking.
The Sheriff’s Office later said the home had been drawing heavy attention on social media, and that witnesses indicated the lights had been flashing for at least a few months, across one to three fixtures on the front, side and back of the house. The story began when a social media user driving past the abandoned-looking home on 143rd Street noticed that the front and back porch lights were flashing like a signal. A second creator added another clip soon after. Both videos spread fast, picking up millions of views, as viewers zoomed in on the boarded windows and the steady rhythm of the flashes. The concern spilled out of social media. Plainfield police and the Will County Sheriff’s Office were called to the property more than once, and officers found no sign of danger or suspicious activity. Even so, the lack of a clear explanation kept the speculation going.