The family were thrilled when the guests booked an 11 day stay in their home ahead of a recent trip to Florida — but could only watch what was happening in horror through surveillance cameras outside their house.
A Nebraska couple finds themselves temporarily homeless and looking at $26,000 in repairs before they can move back into their home, and it all stems from an 11 day Airbnb booking that turned into a nightmare.
Over the past two years, Daniel and Jocelyn Medrano told NBC affiliate WOWT that they’ve often rented out their home on the popular app to help lay for their travel costs.
So when they saw that 11-day booking show up, they couldn’t have been more excited. “Probably one of the best bookings we have ever got,” Daniel told the news outlet. “We were super excited because that right there paid for our trip to Florida.”
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Suspicious Activity
The guests paid through instant booking, and despite some communications difficulties and the guest arriving a day late, the Medranos still thought everyone was going to be fine. That feeling didn’t last.
“All of a sudden, he brings two or three other men to the house that are not on the reservation,” Jocelyn said, explaining that they had surveillance cameras set up outside their property to keep an eye on it.
“So, then I have to message him and I am like, ‘Hey you can not do that, that is against Airbnb policy,'” she continued.
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Unfortunately, her message didn’t seem to accomplish anything, and the Medranos could only watch as the man and his mysterious guests brought strange items into and out of their home, including utility fans and cooking pots, per WOWT.
Daniel then said they saw the first man bring in “four bags of white powder,” which he guessed were at least 50 pounds each.
Hoping that maybe it was just going to be a wild party, calls and messages from neighbors quickly confirmed their worst fears. With this, the couple started contacting local authorities in Omaha to look into what was going on at their house, including a tip through the department’s crime stoppers portal.
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Police Involvement
With the couple’s blessing, the Omaha Police Department reportedly set up their own surveillance outside the home. Lt. Steve Fornoff of the department’s Narcotics Unit said they followed the men from the house and executed a traffic stop.
“We utilized our K-9 handlers,” he told WOWT. “They came on scene, they ran a dog around the car and got a positive alert for narcotics.”
With enough now to get a warrant, police were able to make their way into the home where they discovered that the men had allegedly produced more than 100 pounds of meth and two to three additional pounds of liquid meth in less than a week.
Three men were arrested by the police and charged with meth possession. They’re currently being held on $500,000 bonds each.
While that was great news for the Omaha community and the police department, and even the Medranos — who’d had to watch their house being used for nefarious activities — the couple was still facing a massive problem at home.
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Couple’s ‘Unlivable’ Home
Rather than come home from a relaxing vacation, the Medranos followed up their stressful time in Florida by coming home to a massive and expensive mess in their family home.
According to WOWT, the parents of two young children reported chemical dust all over the house, a strong smell of ammonia, and actual shards of meth stuck in the carpet.
“They used our bedroom as the drying room, same with my daughter’s room,” said Danie. “They would dry the crystal meth there. They cook the crystal meth in our kitchen and then use our bedroom for drying.”
Calling their current home unlivable, the couple got an estimate on what it would cost to repair the damage and were hit with a staggering total: $26,000. And that’s “without replacing furniture, without replacing paint or anything,” Jocelyn added.
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Talking with People about the shocking incident, an Airbnb spokesperson said, “The reported criminal activity has no place on Airbnb, and we have removed the guest from the platform. We are supporting the impacted host, including under our AirCover host damage protection, and stand ready to assist the Omaha Police Department with their investigation.”
The couple said that they are currently staying with friends as it will be three to four months before their home would be livable again.
They are working with Airbnb, through the AirCover host damage protection, and contractors to begin the work on rebuilding their house. AirCover provides up to $3 million protection in the event of property damage during a stay.
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