A Missouri couple said they recently discovered the home they purchased was once used as a meth lab, after their unborn baby tested positive for the drug.
According to reports on Tuesday, Elisha Hessel said she was stunned after doctors found traces of the drug in her system — and in that of her unborn daughter.
Neither she nor her husband, Tyler Hessel, ever used methamphetamine, Elisha told St. Louis’ KSDK-TV.
“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,” she said.
The couple later discovered that their four-bedroom home in Jefferson County was once a meth lab. According to a police report obtained by KSDK-TV, the home was on Jefferson County’s list of 2013 meth lab seizures.
Per Missouri law, sellers are required to disclose to buyers when a home has historically been used as a meth lab.
The Hessels said they conducted their own tests of the home and found dangerous amounts of amphetamine residue still present throughout the house and in the ventilation.
The Hessels are now living with Elisha’s mother. According to a GoFundMe page, remediating the contamination will cost them $100,000, “with no help from the insurance company.”
“Everybody wants to have their own home when they bring their baby home,” Elisha told WFAA. “A lot of it’s the disappointment and being upset over it, but I have definitely been angry over it as well.”
Elisha said she has tested negative for amphetamine in her blood. Her daughter, who is expected in January, will be tested when she is born, she said.
