TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT. A CALIFORNIA FAMILY IS NOW WARNING OTHERS AFTER THEY GOT SICK FROM EATING MUSHROOMS THAT THEY FOUND DURING A HIKE. YOU MIGHT REMEMBER DOZENS OF OTHERS GOT SICK WEEKS AGO. A WARNING. CONSUMING TOXIC MUSHROOMS CAN KILL YOU. JACQUELINE QUINONEZ HAS WHAT TO WATCH FOR. THIS IS THE DIAZ FAMILY OUT ON A HIKE, ENJOYING SOME TIME IN MOTHER NATURE. BACK ON NOVEMBER 30TH, 2025, WE WERE OUT WITH OUR KIDS BECAUSE BEING INSIDE ALL DAY CAN GET US STRESSED. AS WE WERE GOING ON OUR WALK, WE COME ACROSS THESE MUSHROOMS. LAURA MARCELINO SAYS THE MUSHROOMS LOOK SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY WOULD FORAGE IN OAXACA. YUBA. WE THOUGHT TO OURSELVES, IT’S A RAINY SEASON AND LIKE BACK IN OUR TOWN, PEOPLE PICK UP THE MUSHROOMS. IT’S FOOD. BUT WE DIDN’T THINK IT WAS POISONOUS. THEY ENDED UP BRINGING THE MUSHROOMS BACK HOME TO EAT. I COOKED IT LIKE I WOULD NORMALLY AND WE DIDN’T THINK IT WAS POISONOUS, AND I COOKED IT LIKE I WOULD IF I WAS BACK HOME, MARCELINO SAID SHE AND HER HUSBAND, CARLOS DIAZ, WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT CONSUMED THEM. THE. WE THREW UP HAD DIARRHEA AND WE WERE LIKE THAT ALL DAY. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT WAS NORMAL, BUT THEN IT BECAME A LOT AND IT STARTED GETTING LATER IN THE DAY. AND MY HUSBAND SAID, LET’S CALL MY BROTHER. AND HE TOOK US TO THE HOSPITAL. WHILE BEING TREATED, THE STAFF TOLD THEM THEY COULDN’T EAT ANYTHING WHILE BEING OBSERVED. WHILE MARCELINO GOT BETTER. HER HUSBAND’S HEALTH WORSENED AND HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO STANFORD, WHERE HE FELL INTO A COMA. HIS BODY IS SWELLING UP AND IT COULD GET TO HIS HEAD AND HE CAN DIE QUICKLY. THAT IS WHAT THEY WERE TELLING ME. HE WASN’T SPEAKING AND I JUST FELT VERY SAD. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. DOCTORS GAVE THEM OPTIONS THAT INCLUDED A LIVER TRANSPLANT. THEY WERE TOLD THAT HE WOULD BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF HIS. CONDITION. HE’S REALLY SICK. IT’S LIFE OR DEATH IS WHAT THEY TOLD ME. AND I TOLD THEM TO DO WHAT THEY CAN TO SAVE HIS LIFE. HER HUSBAND, CARLOS, WAS FINALLY ABLE TO RECEIVE A LIVER TRANSPLANT AND IS NOW RECOVERING. CARLOS DIAZ, SPEAKING TO US FROM HIS HOSPITAL BED. I FEEL FOR THE FAMILY THAT DONATED THE LIVER. IT’S SAD LOSING A FAMILY MEMBER, BUT I BELIEVE THEY WERE GOOD PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO DONATE AN ORGAN FROM A LOVED ONE AND GIVE IT TO ME. DIAZ URGING THE PUBLIC NOT TO PICK UP ANY MUSHROOMS THAT THEY SEE ON THE GROUND. IF SOMEONE SEES A MUSHROOM, DON’T GRAB IT AND DON’T USE IT AS FOOD BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT GOOD FOR YOU. THEY’RE VERY POISONOUS. MARCELINO DEMANDING FOR. CHANGE. THERE SHOULD BE SIGNS IN THE PARK SO THAT THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. THAT WAS JACQUELINE QUINONEZ REPORTING. MANY OF THESE MUSHROOMS ARE VERY COMMON DURING THE RAINY MONTHS. AND WASHING THEM AND COOKING THEM. THAT DOES NOT GET RID OF THE TOXINS. THERE IS A LIST OF COMMON POISONOUS MUSHROOMS ON THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PUBLIC HEALTH WEBSITE, BUT I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IS YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO
Foraged mushrooms in California linked to 3 deaths, 32 additional hospitalizations
Updated: 6:21 PM PST Jan 14, 2026
California health officials are continuing to sound the alarm after a deadly outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms in the state. Three deaths have been connected with foraged Death Cap mushrooms. The California Department of Public Health said that as of Jan. 6, 35 hospitalizations, including the three deaths and three liver transplants, have been linked to the outbreak. (Previous coverage in the video player above.)The department noted that Death Cap mushrooms risk potentially deadly amatoxin poisoning, and wet weather has fueled their spread. They are easily confused with other mushrooms that are safe to eat, and health officials urge the public to avoid mushroom foraging. Those affected by the poisoning outbreak range in age from 19 months to 67 years old. Cases have been identified in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties, though most cases are in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Area. The health department noted that affected individuals said the mushrooms were foraged in locations across Northern California and the Central Coast.People can have stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting within 24 hours after ingesting a toxic mushroom. Though gastrointestinal symptoms may improve, health officials warn that patients can still develop serious complications, including liver damage, that surface later.People looking for guidance on diagnosing or treating mushroom poisoning can contact the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
California health officials are continuing to sound the alarm after a deadly outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms in the state. Three deaths have been connected with foraged Death Cap mushrooms.
The California Department of Public Health said that as of Jan. 6, 35 hospitalizations, including the three deaths and three liver transplants, have been linked to the outbreak.
(Previous coverage in the video player above.)
The department noted that Death Cap mushrooms risk potentially deadly amatoxin poisoning, and wet weather has fueled their spread. They are easily confused with other mushrooms that are safe to eat, and health officials urge the public to avoid mushroom foraging.
Those affected by the poisoning outbreak range in age from 19 months to 67 years old. Cases have been identified in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties, though most cases are in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Area.
The health department noted that affected individuals said the mushrooms were foraged in locations across Northern California and the Central Coast.
People can have stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting within 24 hours after ingesting a toxic mushroom. Though gastrointestinal symptoms may improve, health officials warn that patients can still develop serious complications, including liver damage, that surface later.
People looking for guidance on diagnosing or treating mushroom poisoning can contact the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel