A Missouri family has been forced to abandoned their home after they discovered it was used as a meth lab six years ago. Elisha and Tyler Hessel found out about their home's past history after Elisha and her unborn child tested positive for methamphetamine during routine blood tests.
"When they called me, I didn't know what that meant. So, I asked the nurse if that meant like, drugs in general," Hessel told KSDK. "She basically just said 'yes' and asked me if I could explain that."
The couple had no idea how the illegal drugs got into their system, so they purchased a home testing kit which showed there were high levels of methamphetamine in the house. They found residue from the drugs had accumulated in their ventilation system and had been spreading the particles throughout the home.
"Through speaking with neighbors and kind of getting hints here and there," Hessel explained. "I went ahead and bought a test over the internet and tested it myself, and it did come back with unsafe levels in the home."
It turns out that the cops made a drug bust at the home in 2013 and found a burned barrel filled with items used to make meth in the backyard. Officials never tested the house for contamination and the home became the property of a bank in 2016. It was sold to another buyer, who sold it to the Hessel's. Under Missouri law, a seller must inform a potential buyer if the home was used as a drug lab.
After the discovery, the Hessel's were forced to leave all their belongings behind because everything they own might be contaminated. They have moved in with Elisha's mother and built a nursery for their child.
"Everybody wants to have their own home when they bring their baby home," Hessel said. "A lot of it's the disappointment and being upset over it, but I have definitely been angry over it as well."
They don't know what they will do with their home because it will cost them around $100,000 to clean up the contamination. The process would include ripping out the drywall and completely replacing the HVAC system and all the ductwork. They can't afford a lawyer to take the insurance company to court, and the repairs will cost slightly less than what they paid for the house.