When an Arizona woman took to social media for help in getting a safe belonging to her late father open, 14 years after his death, she could never have predicted what would happen next.
Ashley Oshea was just 10-years-old when her father passed away. “He was an enigma to me,” Oshea told Newsweek. “For a few years he wasn’t allowed to see us while he was getting his life together and figuring out his sobriety journey.”
Sadly, whatever plans he had for their future together would not come to pass. Oshea’s father died in 2011, leaving her in shock. “He had just come back into our lives and then was gone,” she said.
In the years that followed, Oshea experienced more ups and downs. She had children of her own but also suffered the heartbreak of losing her brother.
Though the memory of her father was never far from her thoughts, it came into significant focus when she decided to move houses and suddenly noticed the large safe she had in the corner of one room.
“My dad purchased the safe from his neighbor a few years before his passing,” Oshea said. The safe had sat unopened for 18 years. Oshea was desperate to change that, but there was one major stumbling block
“I didn’t have the combination,” she said. “None of my family knew the combination. We called the manufacturer but didn’t get much help.”
That was when Oshea decided to take her quest to social media, with a series of videos posted to her TikTok @therealtalkroom, showcasing her efforts to get it open.
According to Statista, as of 2024, TikTok had 130 million users in the U.S., with that number projected to rise to over 200 million by 2029. While some have expressed concern over the use of the platform, Oshea’s efforts are an example of the positive power it also has.
It all started when the first video showcasing Oshea’s efforts at trying to “crack” the safe went viral, amassing over 5 million views. Some of that may have been down to the unique setup, with Oshea attempting to open the safe while her late father and brother, both in their respective urns, watch on from a nearby shelf.
“I think they are popular because people love a mystery and the safe was one, and then the other comedic element of having my dad and brother in the background with me seemed to be a big hit,” Oshea said.
It was a tough task to get the safe open, but Oshea was up for the challenge and saw social media as a potential tool to help her get the job done.
“I watched some videos and downloaded a safe manipulation PDF, and jumped on a livestream to fill in everyone [on what was going on] while I was trying to ask for help and get suggestions,” she said.
Though her approach was an unconventional one, it did yield results that might have otherwise proven difficult or too expensive to get. “A locksmith reached out to me directly,” Oshea said. “He actually found the code to the safe and sent it to me and the next day I jumped on live to try it out and it worked!”
Oshea filmed a follow-up video on her TikTok showcasing the moment she finally opened the safe. It proved something of an anti-climactic moment.
“I was super excited that it opened but then super disappointed that it was empty,” she said. “I thought there would be at least something in there even if it was some paper. All that was in there was crusty unopened ear plugs from Sweden.”
It was only when the dust settled and Oshea had time to reflect on the experience that she realized it had been a worthwhile one. “I did think of my dad a lot,” she said.
“It felt great and also a little sad. This experience of opening the safe and having him here with me was something I’ve longed to feel since he passed; a sense there was a path and that this has all been for a reason. So having his and my brother’s urn brought up a lot of memories.”
While the “mystery” of the safe’s contents didn’t quite live up to expectations, the experience did unlock memories and stories of her father that brought Oshea closer to him.
“The safe story connected me to my dad’s best friend and it’s someone who can actually tell me about my dad outside my family,” she said.
“I found out he was not only an electrician, but he was actually an instructor who was loved by all his students, and was next in line to take over the union. He was so good at what he did and was so much more than his final couple days. He had changed into this amazing guy my siblings were so excited to know.”
Though social media may have also been anticipating some great secret inside the safe, their response proved to be a similar one. “In the end most people had the same sentiment. It didn’t matter that the safe was empty,” she said. “I got one last adventure from dad and it was a fun one.”
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