Police are delving into a startling revelation unfolding close to Taylor Swift's Rhode Island abode. On the morning of May 14th, local authorities, in a statement to NBC News, conveyed that human remains were uncovered in Westerly, a coastal town scarcely a mile from where the "Karma" crooner maintains a residence.
"Upon their arrival, officers stumbled upon what seemed to be a human leg bone," the Westerly Police Department's statement elaborated. "These remains were meticulously gathered and transported to the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office for exhaustive examination." The police further noted, "Currently, no indications of foul play are apparent. Investigators eagerly await the official verification of the remains' identity."
E! News has reached out to both the Westerly Police Department and Swift's representatives for their input.
The uncovering left the local community profoundly astonished. "I witnessed three police cars—one unmarked—two resembling Westerly town police officers, accompanied by a medical examiner trailing behind me," recounted Westerly resident Taylor Day in an interview with NBC10. "It stirred a sense of alarm within me, as it was an occurrence utterly unprecedented in Westerly."
"It was perhaps a stone's throw from Taylor Swift’s mansion and the Ocean House," Day continued. "I would never have anticipated such an incident—least of all in Watch Hill."
Taylor, who acquired the opulent Rhode Island mansion in 2013, has frequently used this beachfront retreat as a sanctuary from the media spotlight. Besides hosting her now-legendary Fourth of July festivities, which have welcomed the likes of Selena Gomez, HAIM, Karlie Kloss, Blake Lively, Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, Ed Sheeran, Lena Dunham, and many more over the years, the mansion has also served as muse for her music.
Her song "the last great american dynasty" from her 2020 album Folklore, revolves around its storied past, particularly focusing on Rebekah Harkness, a socialite who resided in the house—then known as "Holiday House"—during the mid-20th century, with whom Swift felt a profound connection. "Fifty years is a lengthy span / Holiday House stood silently by the shore," she croons in the track. "Free of women possessed, their men, and vice / Until I purchased it."
Although the song wasn't unveiled until 2020, Taylor revealed in the 2020 documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions that she had been deeply inspired by the tale of the house and its infamous former occupant since 2013, expressing, "I had harbored a desire to pen a song about Rebekah Harkness since I bought the place."
