Woman dies two years after drinking margarita tainted with industrial cleaner

Two years ago, a woman went to an Oklahoma restaurant for Valentine’s Day and had margaritas. The first one was fine. The second, however, was tainted with industrial cleaner, her mother said.

The woman died this week after years of medical issues and now the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into what happened.

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Holly Hill went to Hacienda Las Margaritas Bar & Grill in 2023. Her mother, Kelly Hunter, said that the second margarita served to her daughter that night had an industrial cleaning solution.

“Her mouth was on fire, and she knew something wasn’t right,” Hunter told KWTV. “She immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom, started throwing up, started rinsing her mouth out with water.”

Hill made frequent trips to the emergency room after the incident in the days and weeks that followed.

Hunter said her daughter’s esophagus was chemically burned and she had to undergo dozens of procedures, but it seemed that she had turned a corner and her esophagus seemed to be healing.

But she had severe complications and died on Thursday.

Hill had been a third-grade teacher, according to her obituary. She was also a mother to three children.

The family sued the restaurant and won the civil case, getting a confidential settlement this year.

The restaurant posted a tribute to Hill on Facebook.

“Everyone at Hacienda Las Margaritas Bar & Grill was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Holly Hill. Our thoughts and prayers remain with her family, friends, and the entire Elgin community during this time. Out of respect for Holly and her family, the restaurant was voluntarily closed on October 27 and 28.”

The business also said, “The incident that occurred at our restaurant in February 2023 was an unfortunate and isolated event,” adding that it took steps to prevent the situation from happening again.

The OSBI is investigating, according to the Elgin Police Department, but no details of the investigation have been released. The police department is assisting in the investigation.