Poisonous mushrooms claim a fourth victim in Placer County

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A fourth person sickened at a Loomis elder care home when they ate soup made from poisonous mushrooms has died, the Placer County sheriff’s office said Tuesday.

The identity of the latest victim was not immediately released, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Dena Erwin.

Three others, apparently including the caregiver who picked the mushrooms behind the Gold Age Villa home, became violently ill after eating the soup Nov. 9.

Wild mushrooms are in season now, including poisonous North American amanitas that resemble edible mushrooms that are popular in Asia. White with a sprinkling of brown over the cap and known as the ‘death cap,’ the mushrooms sicken hundreds each year in California. Health officials say toxins in the mushrooms cause liver damage and can lead to comas and, occasionally, death, especially with older people.

[For the record, Nov. 28, 10:25 a.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated the victims lived in a nursing home; they lived in a senior care facility.]

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-- Bob Pool