Current:Home > reviewsDancer Órla Baxendale’s Final Moments Revealed Before Eating Cookie That Killed Her -EquityZone
Dancer Órla Baxendale’s Final Moments Revealed Before Eating Cookie That Killed Her
View
Date:2025-04-26 15:57:07
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! (1)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Report says former University of Florida president Ben Sasse spent $1.3 million on social events
- Are California prisons stiffing inmates on $200 release payments? Lawsuit says they are
- Texas’ battle against deer disease threatens breeding industry
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Why Dave Coulier Respects Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen’s Different Perspective on Full House
- 50,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish fiery Tesla crash on California highway
- Selling Sunset's Chelsea Lazkani Admits She Orchestrated Bre Tiesi's Allegation About Jeff Lazkani
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Boar’s Head closing Virginia plant linked to deadly listeria outbreak
Ranking
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Harry Styles Debuts Mullet Haircut In Rare Public Appearance During 2024 London Fashion Week
- Proof Meryl Streep and Martin Short Will Be Closer Than Ever at the 2024 Emmys
- Former ALF Child Star Benji Gregory's Cause of Death Revealed
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Lil Wayne says Super Bowl 59 halftime show snub 'broke' him after Kendrick Lamar got gig
- Video shows worker at Colorado Panera stop enraged customer with metal pizza paddle
- Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump: 'He's a jerk, an idiot'
Recommendation
Small twin
Will 'Emily in Paris' return for Season 5? Here's what we know so far
Ian McKellen says Harvey Weinstein once apologized for 'stealing' his Oscar
Sonya Massey family joins other victims of police violence to plead for change
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
The Promise and Challenges of Managed Retreat
An ex-Pentagon official accused of electrocuting dogs pleads guilty to dogfighting charges
How many points did Caitlin Clark score today? Rookie breaks WNBA assist record in setback