Mom Calls 911 As Kitchen Trashed by 'Intruder,' Unprepared For Real Culprit

A mom has gone viral on social media after revealing her terror when she thought an intruder had broken into her home—only to realize that the guilty culprit was actually sneaking around the house in a diaper and sleep sack.

Caitlin Murray, 42, took to Instagram (@bigtimeadulting) to regale the details of a very memorable morning when she awoke in a panic, thinking her home had been broken into. She and her husband went downstairs to find that their kitchen had been ransacked—and they couldn't tell if the intruder was maybe a drunk stranger or a ravenous creature.

Murray, of Westchester, New York, told Newsweek that she was "genuinely freaked out" after surveying the disaster scene, as well as very disoriented—as it was only 5 a.m. The freezer was wide open, and she was greeted by the sight of food all over the kitchen floor.

Murray said: "My husband woke me up and let me know someone had been in our house. He arrived in the kitchen and was stunned to see it looking like either an animal or an intoxicated person had rummaged through our freezer and pantry. He ran back upstairs to alert me.

"The freezer door was open, and a container of ice cream was on the floor as well as a number of pantry items, including cookies, crackers, and a gallon of water."

In her panic, she didn't hesitate to call 911 and report a break-in. However, as it turned out, there was no need to call anyone because the culprit was no longer at large. Indeed, he was upstairs in his crib, no doubt with a very full belly.

As soon as Murray reported "the intruder" to the police, she saw her 18-month-old son looking extremely guilty at the top of the stairs. In that moment, she realized there hadn't been an intruder, but merely a hungry toddler looking for a little early morning snack.

As a potential intruder had been reported, the police still had to arrive on scene and ensure all was in order.

"When it dawned on me, I felt relieved, but also concerned about what to do with this toddler," Murray continued. "He was totally fine, but we ended up buying a crib tent for him. He climbed out of his crib and waddled down the stairs in a sleep sack, so that could have been bad, but he made it safely.

"He's my third child and all kids are different in the ways they test boundaries. This was extreme and made for a really funny story, but I could see that he was really scared and remorseful when the police arrived, so it was good to see that it affected him."

Thankfully, Murray can laugh about her son's antics now and views it as a fun anecdote to share.

On June 11, she discussed it in an Instagram Reel to warn other parents about the perils of having toddlers. She joked that she never previously understood why parents use leashes or crib tents to zip their children inside, but after this experience, she finally understood the precautionary measures.

The hilarious story has left social media users in stitches, and it's already gained more than 3 million views and over 87,500 likes on Instagram. The online reaction has been incredibly positive, and Murray said it's given people "a lot of laughs."

Since the clip went viral, many parents could relate to the unexpected joys of having a toddler. Many even shared their own similar experiences, leading to more than 1,900 comments on the Instagram post.

Among the comments, one person responded: "Apparently he was taking your advice and went to go get himself a snack!"

Another person wrote: "It's the third. Why is it the third?! I swear ours wants to break us."

While another comment reads: "I thought child leashes were crazy until I had a child. Now I consider buying one every single day."

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