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McDonald’s deadly E. coli outbreak has now sickened more than 100 people
A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers has sickened 104 people in 14 states, federal health officials said in an update on Wednesday.
At least 34 people have been hospitalized, and four developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. An 88-year-old man who resided in Grand Junction, Colorado, died, as previously reported. The illnesses began at the end of September, and the most recent onset of illness occurred as of October 21, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
McDonald’s in late October said its Quarter Pounders — without slivered onions — would return to the menus of hundreds of its impacted restaurants after testing ruled out beef patties as the source of the outbreak.
The hamburger chain pulled the burgers from restaurants in several states after the outbreak was announced.
The FDA and Colorado officials have collected onion and environmental samples from McDonald’s stores and distribution centers. One sample of recalled onions tested positive for E. coli, but did not match the outbreak strain.
Onion supplier Taylor Farms recalled yellow onions in the wake of the outbreak, and McDonald’s has reintroduced slivered onions from a different supplier.
“There does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants,” the FDA stated.
It usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak. Most people infected with the toxin-producing E. coli experience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Most recover without treatment after five to seven days.
People are advised to call their health care provider if they ate a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder and have severe E. coli symptoms.
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Authorities in New Mexico say they discovered at least 10 human skulls in and around a property near the southeastern border, which could include the remains of a woman who’s been missing since 2019.
Investigators found the remains while executing a search warrant for Cecil Villanueva, a man flagged to law enforcement by a local resident in the city of Jal. The resident said he offered Villanueva a ride in his car and proceeded to have “an unsettling encounter” with him, the Lea County Sheriff’s Office said.
The resident, who authorities haven’t named, reported the interaction on Nov. 5. He said Villanueva was carrying two bags and “made alarming statements” as he “discarded objects from the vehicle, some of which appeared to be human bones,” the sheriff’s office said. Investigators uncovered bone fragments during their subsequent search of the area, and a pathologist later confirmed they were in fact human bones. Forensic experts went on to determine the findings included portions of a human skull and jawbone, according to the sheriff.
There is evidence of the remains of between 10 and 20 human skulls on a property in Jal where Villanueva had been staying, which was “associated with rumors of human remains,” the sheriff said. A team of investigators and a forensic anthropologist turned over the remains to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque. The medical investigator will analyze and potentially identify them.
🚨PRESS RELEASE🚨
Human Remains Discovered in Ongoing Missing Persons Investigation in Jal, NM
November 12, 2024 – The…
Posted by Lea County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Law enforcement has so far released few details about the case, but they said it “is being closely tied” to the disappearance of a woman named Angela McManes, who went missing in 2019 and lived near the property now under investigation.
“Authorities are working diligently to determine the connection between the remains and McManes, as well as other possible victims,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities have not said whether Villanueva has been arrested in this case. The man apparently claims he purchased the skulls online, CBS News affiliate KOSA reported Tuesday. At the time, Lea County Undersheriff Michael Walker told the station authorities were still working to determine whether the skulls they found were real human skulls.
Anyone with information related to the investigation has been asked to contact the Lea County Sheriff’s Office or the county’s local Crime Stoppers line. CBS News reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information but did not immediately hear back.
Lindsey Vonn is coming out of retirement to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team, she announced Thursday, intending to race again at age 40 — and six years after her last Olympics.
Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, including a downhill gold and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and a bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She is also a four-time overall World Cup champion and owns eight world championships medals.
Her 82 World Cup race victories stood as the record for a woman until that total was eclipsed in January 2023 by American Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still active and is now up to 97 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport.
Before eclipsing Vonn’s total, Shiffrin said: “I don’t know if I could fill Lindsey’s shoes, the way that she has worn them.”
Gero Breloer / AP
Vonn’s last competition came in February 2019, after she dealt with a long series of injuries throughout her career, including a spectacular crash in at the Pyeongchang Games that left her with torn ligaments and a fractured tibia. In 2017, she detailed her injuries in a “60 Minutes” interview: Two ACL tears, an MCL tear, an injury to her meniscus, several broken bones, including her wrist and multiple fingers. Just this April, years after leaving the World Cup circuit, she had surgery for a partial knee replacement.
Vonn has been training in recent months, U.S. Ski & Snowboard said Thursday.
“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn said, adding that she wants to “continue to share my knowledge of the sport with these incredible women” on the American team.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said Vonn’s “dedication and passion towards Alpine skiing is inspiring, and we’re excited to have her back on snow and see where she can go from here.”
Vonn is back with the team effective immediately, but it is not yet known which particular races she will be aiming to enter.
The next Winter Olympics are in Italy in February 2026.
