FARMINGTON, Conn. — Connecticut State Police said Monday that there was no criminal evidence on a rug pulled from the Farmington River over the weekend.
The rug was discovered Sunday by a social media influencer and paranormal investigator named Sean Austin.
Police said in a statement: "After investigating for several hours, Detectives tested several large, irregular brownish-red stains on the rug and a presumptive test determined they were not blood. Detectives have found no evidence of the rug being related to any criminal case."
Local kayakers told police that the rugs are used to launch and retrieve kayaks and to keep vegetation down at this location of the Farmington River.
Austin posted on TikTok that they found the rug recently not far from the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Wannowmassa Lane and needed the equipment to pull it out. A dive team went into the river Sunday and removed it. They notified Farmington police who then called for state police assistance.
"We ask members of the public who find what might be evidence in a criminal investigation to contact 911 so that items can be processed and investigated by detectives and so that no potential evidence is contaminated," said State Police.
"Farmington Police Department requested our Major Crimes squad to assist with an investigation of a rug found in the Farmington River by a social media influencer," state police said in a statement. "This investigation is in its infancy stages, and that is all the information we have for release at this time. Any further updates will be available at a later date."
Austin posted a three-and-a-half-hour YouTube video Sunday of crews removing the rug. He told FOX61 he was at police headquarters to give a statement and wait for test results from the rug.
FOX61 reached out to Farmington police for more information and is waiting to hear back.
This is a developing story.
Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tblack@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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