postsecret message
An anonymous confession on PostSecret led to police searching a Chicago park for a dead body. PostSecret

A mysterious message on the popular anonymous confession site PostSecret prompted Chicago police to search a park for a dead body over the weekend.

According to CNN, the message first appeared on PostSecret as part of their weekly “Sunday Secrets” series. It was a handwritten note on a map which read, "I said she dumped me, but really I dumped her (body),” with a red arrow pointing to a specific location.

The image then found its way onto Reddit, where users were able to determine that the map showed Jackson Park in Chicago. Eventually, the authorities were contacted and a search of the area was initiated. No body turned up.

"We basically had a cryptic message observed on the site pertaining to a possible criminal act," Officer John Mirabelli told CNN. "Officers immediately went to the park and conducted a search. There was no evidence of a crime or anything that was unusual."

“Nothing has surfaced to indicate that a crime was committed," Mirabelli said.

Police say they will continue to investigate the matter, even if it is a hoax. "If the intent behind the message was to cause alarm and cause the police to search that location, then it is a crime -- like screaming fire in a crowded theater," Mirabelli said. "But it depends on the offender -- are we dealing with a child or an adult? A whole lot of factors to consider."

As CNN points out, PostSecret itself has yet to issue a statement, but the website has retweeted a few reactions to posting the confession.

“Posting that photo and map of a where a dead woman's body may lay, is exploitative and wrong. What is wrong with you!?!” wrote one user.

“Thank you for posting that really chilling confession,” another user tweeted. “Even the scariest secrets need to be heard.”

“I understand both sides of the argument regarding the @postsecret murder confession secret,” another person commented.

PostSecret was founded in January 2005. Its mission is to serve as “an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard,” according to its website.

Reddit