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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Health
Erin Keller

Mystery spike of snake attacks in California has already killed three as researchers scramble to find cause

While the species of snake involved in the third fatal California bite of 2026 has yet to be determined, two other people have already died from rattlesnake bites in the state this year - (Getty)

A Northern California woman has died after being bitten multiple times by a venomous snake, marking the third snakebite death in California this year amid an unusual rise in fatalities statewide.

The 78-year-old woman, who lived in Redwood Valley, was walking on a rural property on April 8 when she was bitten three times, Quincy Cromer, a spokesperson for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, told SFGate. Family members transported her to a hospital, but she later died from her injuries. An autopsy on April 15 determined the cause of death was envenomation from the bites, and officials ruled the incident accidental. The snake species involved has not been identified.

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