A naked man has been arrested after being discovered living in the crawl space beneath an elderly woman’s home in El Sereno, California.
Authorities from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) found the man on November 7, following weeks of strange noises reported by the woman’s family.
The woman, thought to be in her early 90s, had been hearing odd sounds coming from under the house, which her family initially dismissed as the noises of animals.
However, as the sounds grew louder, her son-in-law, Ricardo Silva, became concerned.
“The noises were kind of like knocking,” Silva explained. “It was like, as my wife was walking, they were kind of knocking back from under the house, so she says, ‘You know something’s wrong.’”
The disturbing noises persisted for weeks and reached a peak on November 7, prompting the family to contact authorities.
READ ALSO: STRANGE! Nanny and Husband Charged in Brutal Killings
Upon arriving at the scene, LAPD officers spent several hours attempting to coax the man, later identified as 27-year-old Issac Betancourt, out of the crawl space.
Reports say that police used gas to help subdue him, and he finally surrendered around 4:30 a.m. the following morning.
Inside the crawl space, officers discovered blankets and food, suggesting that Betancourt may have been living there for some time.
While the exact duration of his stay is unclear, the woman’s family suspects he may have been living under the house for up to six months.
Betancourt has since been arrested on misdemeanor trespassing charges. He was taken into custody on November 8, released the following day, and is scheduled to appear in court on December 6.
The discovery has left the woman’s family shaken, as they never imagined a person could be living under their home without them noticing. Watch the video here.