Horror behind the walls: They just wanted to insulate their home, but what they found behind drywall shocked them

PENNSYLVANIA (WITI) -- All they wanted to do was add some insulation to a room in their Pennsylvania home -- but they found the room was already insulated -- with dozens of animal carcasses, half-used spices and other bizarre items found behind layers of drywall.

"We were shocked, horrified and disgusted," homeowner and mother of four Kajia Bretzuis told FOX6's sister station WNEP.

The homeowners first made the discovery in their walls back in 2012, and they've been removing the items ever since. The dead animals were wrapped in old newspapers from the 1930s and 1940s, WNEP reports.

A home inspector apparently didn't find anything unusual before the Bretzuis family bought the home.

The family says they thought they were buying their dream home back in 2011, because it didn't appear they'd have to do any work to it. Now, they say that's all they've been doing.

"It has been horrifying and it's completely drained our savings," Bretzuis said.

The horror in the walls isn't covered by insurance because the stuff was there before the Bretzuis family bought the policy. They have to fix everything themselves -- and it's costing around $20,000.

As the family worked to remove the items from the home's walls, they wanted some answers, so they sent hundreds of artifacts and carcasses to an expert.

"What they call pow-wowing or dutch mabic. They used this to heal ailments," Bretzuis said.

Knowing why the stuff was there doesn't make it any easier, the family says. They say the mold caused almost everyone in the family to get sick, and the smell won't go away.