The Saint Paul Pioneer Press reports that a 10-year-old girl has died after eating poisonous mushrooms a relative picked at St. Paul’s Keller-Phalen Regional Park.
Salena Thao was among seven people from two Hmong families who were hospitalized after eating the mushrooms Sept. 9. The mushrooms looked similar to the edible ones that grow in abundance in Southeast Asia but were actually Amanita bisporedia, also known as Eastern American Destroying Angels.
The mortality rate among people who eat those mushrooms is 20 percent to 30 percent, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
While the other six people recovered, Thao remained in the hospital until she died at 10 a.m. Sept. 15, said Cheu Lee, an uncle. “Her body couldn’t take the toxins,” he said.