Couple Learns Home Was Once a Meth Lab After Baby Tests Positive for Drugs

A Missouri couple whose unborn baby tested positive for amphetamines recently discovered that their dream home used to be a meth lab.

Elisha Hessel said she went to the doctor for routine blood tests and was shocked when the nurse told her the baby tested positive for drugs.

“When they called me, I didn’t know what that meant. So, I asked the nurse if that meant like, drugs in general. She basically just said ‘yes’ and asked me if I could explain that,” Hessel recalled.

However, she and her husband, Tyler, had no explanation to give doctors because neither of them have a criminal history of drug abuse.

Hessel said their neighbors had previously mentioned the former inhabitants of the Jefferson County home, and expressed their relief that they were now living there.

“Just through normal conversations as we got to know them a little better they said they were so happy to finally have ‘normal’ people move in next door. They had also mentioned that the police were there for a possible drug bust type situation,” she told reporters.

“Through speaking with neighbors and kind of getting hints here and there, 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,” she said.

Most states require home sellers to tell potential buyers about any “material defects” regarding the property, according to CBS News.

“Missouri specifically requires sellers to disclose if their property was used as a site for methamphetamine production,” the report concluded.

However, the couple said they never received the required documents before buying the house. They have since moved out of the home, leaving everything behind, and are currently living with her mother.

A GoFundMe page to help the couple has so far raised $1,051 of their $100,000 goal.

The page stated:

After countless visits to the lawyer and conversations with the bank, county, and insurance company, Tyler and Elisha were unable to receive answers as to why their home was sold before it was remediated and never disclosed. They were ultimately left with just one choice: remediate the contamination by stripping the house down to the studs and rebuilding. This process would cost them well over $100,000, with no help from the insurance company.

Despite being forced to abandon their home, the mother-to-be said their baby girl, due in January, is “right on track, growing healthy and her scans all look good at this time.”