Singer makes ‘traumatic’ discovery after opening door in house for first time

Olivia Burke
2026-03-21T16:58:14.698Z
News

Sara Bareilles said she is going to 'sage the place' after making the grisly find that left her shrieking in horror

Warning: This article contains images which some readers may find distressing.

Sara Bareilles is best known for her incredible vocal ability - but a terrifying discovery in her home had her hitting much higher notes than usual.

The singer understandably let out a few shrieks after prising open a small door in her countryside property and finding the remnants of 'a maggot-filled skull'.

And that's not all she found either, as once she started removing what she believed to be the decomposing carcass of an unknown animal, she realised there was 'multiple'.

The 'Love Song' hitmaker, 46, shared footage of the grisly find in an Instagram post on Thursday (19 March).

She took her 925,000 followers along with her for the entire ride - documenting her discovery as well as the messy removal process, which would make even those with the strongest stomachs feel queasy.

Bareilles explained that she has owned her country home for 'several years now' and has always been intrigued about what lay behind the small white door.

Singer Sara Bareilles made a grisly discovery behind a small white door in her countryside pad (Instagram/@sarabarielles)

The Girls5eva actress said it has 'always been closed' and she 'could never get it open', but decided to finally investigate it further after some debris started tumbling out of the cracks.

In what appeared to be a dual attempt to show off her singing talents and soothe her nerves, she comically narrated her experience through song.

Describing what she found behind the door, Bareilles belted out: "It’s a skull...it’s a skull...the bone of a maggot-filled skull! I don't know what this thing is...it’s a giant dragon. What the f**k? What the f**k?!"

Arming herself with a pair of gloves and a shovel, she then returned to tackle the problem head-on.

Bareilles said she suspected the stomach-churning find was 'the carcass and remains of some kind of giant rodent'.

"I'm thinking it might be like a raccoon, that's my best guess," the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter said. "I'm kind of grossed out - I'm really grossed out, actually."

She found what she believes to be 'multiple' decomposing animal carcasses (Instagram/@sarabarielles)

She then lined up a plastic bag underneath her before she began slowly retrieving the remains with the shovel, while letting out a series of shrieks.

"Oh my god, if I could express to you the size of this body," a stunned Bareilles then said. "I think there's like a bunch..."

Switching camera angles to show social media users what all of this looked like from her 'vantage point', she went on: "This body is big. It’s like a turkey. And a long tail! Oh my goodness! Oh my god, it's like birthing itself, backwards.

"There’s multiples. It’s multiple things! Oh god! Oh Jesus Lord! That was traumatic."

After picking up what appeared to be a 'tail' that had missed the plastic bag, Bareilles then gave herself a pat on the back for being 'tough'.

She explained that as she has been 'watching a lot of' the US reality TV series Alone - which challenges contestants to survive alone in the wilderness for as long as they can - she channelled the spirit of these competitors.

The 'Love Song' singer and actress said she was going to 'sage her house' after making the disturbing find (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

"I've been watching a lot of Alone...I won't give any spoilers," Bareilles said. "But you've got to be tough, you know what I mean? You've got to be tough in this life.

"If one of those contestants had encountered this, they would have boiled the bones!"

Although she still isn't 100 percent sure of what exactly she found behind the door, Bareilles told fans she was going to give the 'creatures' a good send off.

"I am going to give these creatures a little blessing and set them back into nature - even though they are quite, very, very dead," she added. "I'm going to sage the place and take a shower."

Social media users seemed to think that she handled the whole thing quite well, as the comment section of the post was brimming with people who admitted she was much braver than they are.

View this post on Instagram

One amused follower commented: "I feel like I just watched a legend being created. There are so many highs and lows, plot twists and quotable moments."

A second said: "I could have $20 in my bank account and still hired someone to do that for me."

A third added: "The only thing more impressive than your songwriting, is the confidence to handle this task by yourself!!"

Another joked: "Now all of us watching are trauma bonded."

And a fifth chimed in saying: "I’m just here to say you are seriously the bravest human on earth. I’m having heart palpitations watching but I can’t stop!!"