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The patient who died due to complications from an E. coli infection following an outbreak in San Luis Obispo, California, was an 18-month-old girl, her grandmother confirmed.
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The toddler developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious and sometimes fatal complication from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli that can result in kidney failure. The deadly strain is also commonly known as STEC or E. coli O157.
The young girl visited Brookshire Farms with her family in mid-October and began experiencing symptoms a few days later.
San Luis Obispo is on California’s Central Coast, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles.
She was hospitalized for 10 days at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and died on Nov. 4, according to the girl’s grandmother, Los Osos resident Judy Wolf.
“She was a loved child,” Wolf said in an email to The Tribune.
Wolf said her heart was broken in the wake of her granddaughter’s death.
“We are inconsolable,” she said.
The E. coli outbreak, which was linked to the local farm, put three children in intensive care and sickened at least two others, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department said.
The county Public Health Department confirmed the death on Tuesday but did not share any details about the person at the time.
“This is truly a heartbreaking development, and our thoughts are with the family and everyone affected by this outbreak,” SLO County Public Health Department public information officer Tom Cuddy said in a statement Tuesday. “The entire team at Public Health extends our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Even though no specific source of the E. coli O157 was found, the county said that “some potential exposures common to infected individuals remain notable,” including edible corn cups, pumpkins, hay and non-potable water sources.
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SLO County wraps up E. coli outbreak investigation
Last week, the health department announced it was wrapping up its investigation into the outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli that officials believed was tied to Brookshire Farms on Los Osos Valley Road.
There have been five confirmed total cases of E. coli in the outbreak — though 10 other people who visited the farm between Oct. 16 and 26 developed symptoms and are considered “suspect cases,” according to the health department.
Brookshire Farms co-owner Shawn Callaway declined to comment on Thursday.
Callaway previously told The Tribune that he and his wife have both been extremely distressed in the aftermath of the outbreak.
“Our hearts go out to the families, the kids, the adults,” he said.
He emphasized that safety has always been a top priority for the farm, which offers a variety of seasonal activities, including pumpkins, a large corn maze and more. It can see as many as 1,000 guests in a single day in the run-up to Halloween.
He noted there were still outstanding questions regarding the investigation and how exactly people may have been infected, especially after environmental testing was unable to confirm the presence of the specific O157 strain of E. coli bacteria that sickened people at the farm.
Callaway also said the only known connection between the confirmed cases was that they attended Brookshire Farms. He knew of no other common denominators between the infected individuals.
“Although it’s frustrating to not be able to pinpoint the exact source of the infection through environmental lab testing, this is not unexpected, and bacterial contamination is often temporary and difficult to detect through available sampling methods,” county health officer Dr. Christy Mulkerin said in a Friday news release.
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This story was originally published November 13, 2026 at 4:21 PM.