Tainted Juice May Have Killed Girl

A 16-month-old girl died Friday after drinking unpasteurized fruit juice linked to an E. coli outbreak across the West.

Anna Gimmestad is believed to be the first person to die in the outbreak, which began last month.

The California-based maker of the juice, Odwalla Inc., has since recalled 16 of its fruit drinks, which are thought to have infected five people in Colorado and 44 in California, Washington state and Canada.

Anna was admitted to Children’s Hospital on Oct. 16 and died after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest, spokeswoman Jenny Kolquist said. Anna had severe kidney problems, and her heart had stopped several times in recent days.

Although the E. coli infection has not been confirmed by laboratory tests, health officials strongly believe Anna was infected with the bacteria, said Dr. Richard Hoffman, a state epidemiologist.