A family fled the Airbnb they were renting in rural Kentucky after making several startling observations about the house.
The family, consisting of tenant Laura Schilling, her mother and four teenage girls, was visiting Lexington the weekend of April 13 for one of the girls’ horse shows.
They were coming from out of state so they booked an Airbnb for the duration of their stay.
They landed in Kentucky late Thursday night and were alarmed to find the front door wide open. In a Facebook post recounting her harrowing stay, Schilling wrote: “I walked in knowing it was the right house from the photos, but was very wary that there might be anyone there. ‘one in the house.’
She checked under all the beds and in the closets. Only after Schilling made sure the house was clear did she let her daughter and her daughter’s friends into the house.
Laura Schilling (pictured), her mother, her teenage daughter and three friends were staying at an Airbnb in Lexington, Kentucky when they noticed someone had entered the house while they were gone.
Police were dispatched to the home (pictured) after the family were frightened by a car parked on the other side of the road.
Then she made sure all the windows and doors were “closed and locked.”
The next day, April 13, they left the house and when they returned they discovered “that someone was present in the house.”
Schilling explained that they were certain someone had entered the property because “the deadbolt was unlocked and the hotel-style latch was now open.”
They assumed the Airbnb owner had passed by the house and ignored them.
Later that same day, they went to dinner and then returned to the Airbnb, where they hung out and then got ready for bed around 11:30 p.m.
It was late and it was dark outside. Schilling, his mother and the four teenagers were ready to go to sleep.
But then one of the girls burst into the Schillings’ room.
“One of the girls came in and told me her window was open. My mother and I went to see that both windows in their bedroom were indeed open and ajar.
“My mother and I went to see that the two windows in their bedroom were indeed open and cracked across the width. I then checked my daughter and her friends’ room with the same result.
They were confused.
Schilling inspected the rest of the windows in the house and found they were all in a similar position.
But when they went to dinner, all the windows were closed.
Schilling then saw something that made his blood run cold.
“I returned to the original open window to find that the screens had also been removed. When I opened the window, there was a car parked across the street with tinted windows.
Schilling looked at the car with the tinted windows, but not for long.
“When I looked up and looked at their car, the car immediately started and took off.”
Schilling’s mother called 911 and the Lexington Police Station quickly dispatched a deputy to the scene.
According to authorities, officers were dispatched to Airbnb around 11:38 p.m. The family had reported suspicious activity.
“When officers arrived, they learned that the guests had returned to the residence and noticed an unlocked door and an open window,” Lexington police told WXIN.
“Nothing was reported missing and officers were unable to determine if anyone had entered the residence illegally.”
Schilling said the deputy insisted they leave because “they were in danger.”
He warned them that “they would indeed come back” and the deputy helped them find a hotel to stay.
Lexington police officers remained on the property until the family finished packing their belongings and left for a local hotel.
Schilling was very complimentary of the officers’ assistance:
“I think the officers did an outstanding job and definitely made us feel safe.”
They also felt that law enforcement’s response validated their concerns.
“When we opened the garage doors and saw that there were two cars and police officers outside, we felt really safe. It also validated what happened to us.
Lexington Police said at this time there is no indication the incident is related to human trafficking. The Lexington Police Department leads the state in human trafficking arrests.
They are actively investigating whether or not criminal activity took place.
The tenant hopes that his experience will encourage other travelers to be more vigilant.
“I told the girls that they should always trust their instincts when they feel something is wrong. If they hadn’t noticed that cracked window. If they had thought it was no big deal and just gone to bed… But they didn’t.
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