Current:Home > ScamsDancer Órla Baxendale’s Final Moments Revealed Before Eating Cookie That Killed Her -Financium
Dancer Órla Baxendale’s Final Moments Revealed Before Eating Cookie That Killed Her
View
Date:2025-04-22 12:09:52
New details are emerging about Órla Baxendale's final moments.
The New York dancer, who died Jan. 11 at age 25, took precautions to prevent her death, according to her family attorney.
At a social gathering earlier this month, Baxendale went into anaphylactic shock due to a severe allergic reaction from eating a cookie that contained peanuts—although the label did not disclose the ingredient, her lawyer said.
"Because Orla was so vigilant and so careful with everything she touched, she actually Googled 'soy nut,' which is on the package," her attorney Marijo Adimey told ABC News, "wanting to make sure that a soy nut wasn't a nut." (Soy nuts are soybeans, not tree nuts.)
After she took a bite of Stew Leonard's Vanilla Florentine Cookie, Baxendale began having a reaction. Her friends rushed her to the hospital and used her EpiPen, per the outlet, but she sadly didn't make it.
Stew Leonard Jr.—the CEO of the supermarket chain that sold the desserts—said they were not informed that the supplier had changed the recipe from soy nuts to peanuts.
In response, the manufacturer Cookies United publicly shared a note the company allegedly sent out months prior, informing vendors they were adding peanuts as an ingredient in the holiday cookies.
"Unfortunately, considering the tragedy of these circumstances, we need to point out that Stew Leonard's was notified by Cookies United in July of 2023 that this product now contains peanuts and all products shipped to them have been labeled accordingly," Cookies United said in a Jan. 23 press release. "This product is sold under the Stew Leonard's brand and repackaged at their facilities. The incorrect label was created by, and applied to, their product by Stew Leonard's."
The supermarket recalled mislabeled cookies that had been sold from Nov. 6 to Dec. 31 at their stores in Danbury and Newington, Conn.
Baxendale's family has not spoken out about the incident, but have been communicating their grief through their lawyer.
"They're too distraught to speak," Adimey added. "They want this story out so it doesn't happen again."
Baxendale, a U.K. native, is being remembered by the dance community for her lively personality and talent for performing.
"For someone to leave us so young and so soon at the height of career is a tragedy," her dance instructor Guillermo Asca told ABC. "She was vibrant, dynamic, kooky, someone who didn't take herself seriously but took work seriously."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (3)
Related
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Why Sarah Jessica Parker Left the 2024 Met Gala Early
- Would limits on self-checkout prevent shoplifting? What a California bill would mean.
- The Boy Scouts of America has a new name — and it's more inclusive
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- How to Grow Long, Strong Natural Nails At Home, According To A Nail Artist
- Travis Kelce Scores First Major Acting Role in Ryan Murphy TV Show Grotesquerie
- 'Pretty Little Liars: Summer School': Premiere date, time, cast, where to watch Season 2
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Mexico tightens travel rules on Peruvians in a show of visa diplomacy to slow migration to US
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Get A $188 Blazer For $74 & So Much At J. Crew Factory’s Sale, Where Everything Is Up To 60% Off
- Olympic flame arrives in Marseille, France, 79 days before the Paris 2024 Games
- Cardi B Unveils the Unbelievable Dress She Almost Wore to the 2024 Met Gala
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after calm day on Wall St
- FAA investigates Boeing for falsified records on some 787 Dreamliners
- Report says Chiefs’ Rashee Rice suspected of assault weeks after arrest over high-speed crash
Recommendation
Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
Bridget Moynahan Shares Cryptic Message on Loyal People After Tom Brady Roast
Most FTX customers to get all their money back less than 2 years after catastrophic crypto collapse
Justice Department warns it plans to sue Iowa over new state immigration law
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Met Gala 2024 highlights: Zendaya, Gigi Hadid bloom in garden theme, plus what you didn't see
New Mexico high court upholds man’s 3 murder convictions in 2018 shooting deaths near Dixon
How Kim Kardashian and Lana Del Rey Became Unexpected Duo While Bonding at 2024 Met Gala