Family finds hundreds of needles hidden in walls

What started as a water leak turned into a disturbing find and unexpected nightmare for an El Paso County family.

Corina Strider lives in a rent-to-own home in the Arrowhead Mobile Home Park with her fiance, grandmother, 4-year-old son and 5-month old baby. Last week after noticing a puddle of water on the carpet and water stains on the wall between her bedroom and bathroom, they removed part of the wall to investigate the leak.

Hidden in the walls and under the bathtub were piles of needles.

“There were hundreds down there. Hundreds, hundreds, hundreds,” Strider said. “I honestly think they’re drug needles. I do not think it was insulin needles whatsoever. Why not throw them in the trash? Why would you leave them in the house, in the walls? I don’t understand.”

According to Strider, the management company agreed to replace a step in front of the tub and part of the flooring, but is leaving it up to the family to complete the repairs and to do any health testing.

“I got a response of I’m blowing this out of proportion, that they’re not going to fix anything that’s going to be thousands of dollars over a hunch,” she said. “I just found hundreds of needles in my house. I don’t think that’s a hunch.

“It’s very scary, especially with my two kids here and my elderly grandmother. It could be germs. It could be hepatitis. It could be anything in the air and it’s concerning,” Strider said.

Concerned for their safety, Strider and her family are staying with relatives until their home can be cleaned. With the help of a maintenance worker, Strider’s fiance cleared out the needles, but the family still doesn’t feel safe in the home.

“I was pregnant in this home. I brought a newborn baby into this home,” Strider said. “It’s really sad because this is our very first home together as a family and I thought we were going to be here for awhile and I feel like it’s being taken away by a simple request to make sure it’s safe to be in here and a simple cleanup and it’s not being taken care of.”

According to the state health department, the rental company is not responsible in paying for mold or chemical testing in the home.