The 17-month-old developed a severe E. coli infection as regulators investigated an unlicensed Riverside County dairy operation.
WINCHESTER, Calif. — A 17-month-old California girl survived kidney failure, dialysis and intensive care after contracting a dangerous strain of E. coli following months of drinking raw goat milk obtained from an unlicensed Riverside County farm, according to medical accounts, family statements and a ProPublica investigation.
Brooklyn Marris became ill June 2, 2025, after vomiting on the way home from swim lessons. Her symptoms worsened over the next two days, and she was transferred to Rady Children’s Hospital after emergency blood tests raised serious concerns. Doctors diagnosed her with E. coli O157:H7 and hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a potentially life-threatening complication that can damage blood vessels and cause acute kidney failure. Brooklyn required dialysis and a ventilator. Her family said she also suffered cardiac arrest three times before her condition improved.
Brooklyn’s mother, Emily Marris, told ProPublica that she had begun giving her daughter raw goat milk about six months before the illness while searching for an alternative to other milk products. Brooklyn had been born seven weeks premature and had experienced constipation as her mother tried to wean her from breastfeeding. Marris said a Facebook group led her to Moonlight Ridge, a nearby farm operated at the time by Courtney Baker. The family said Baker represented the herd and milk as clean and tested.
When infectious disease doctors reviewed Brooklyn’s diet, Marris told them about the unpasteurized milk. Doctors identified it as a likely source of the infection, according to ProPublica. A stool sample later confirmed E. coli O157:H7, a strain capable of producing Shiga toxin. The California Department of Public Health says raw milk can contain Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and other dangerous germs, including Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria. Children are among those at greater risk of severe complications.
The investigation expanded after another child who had consumed raw goat milk obtained from Moonlight Ridge became seriously ill. Iris and David Galindo told ProPublica that their 6-year-old daughter, Victoria, drank milk purchased from the farm on June 2, 2025. She later developed HUS associated with the same E. coli strain and was admitted to Rady Children’s Hospital, where she required intensive treatment and blood transfusions. The two families later connected and provided information to government investigators.
State regulators visited Moonlight Ridge on June 20, 2025, according to records reviewed by ProPublica. Officials issued a cease-and-desist order and a notice alleging the farm was operating a food facility without a valid permit. Investigators later tested a milk sample supplied by Baker. The sample, collected more than two weeks after Brooklyn first became sick, did not test positive for E. coli or several other pathogens. Because contamination can differ between batches, that result did not establish what was present in milk consumed earlier.
Baker disputed allegations that her milk caused the illnesses and told ProPublica that products from the farm were sold as pet milk rather than for people to drink. She said later testing found no pathogens and maintained that the illnesses were not proof that her farm was responsible. ProPublica reported that records and messages provided by the families showed Baker knew Brooklyn was consuming the milk. Baker later said she strongly disagreed with ProPublica’s characterization of events.
California permits the sale of raw milk for human consumption when producers meet state licensing, sanitation, labeling and testing requirements. Health officials nevertheless warn that those safeguards cannot eliminate the risk of harmful organisms. Pasteurization heats milk to destroy disease-causing germs, and the California Department of Public Health says children, pregnant people, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face a greater risk of severe illness from raw dairy products.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture closed its investigation of Moonlight Ridge in August 2025 after finding that Baker had promoted and sold unapproved milk products without a department license, ProPublica reported. The agency did not impose a financial penalty. A state investigator said officials had been unable to prove the milk was sold for human consumption. The department said its priority was to remove the product from the human food market quickly and that pursuing a criminal referral could have taken longer.
Brooklyn survived and returned home, but her family said the illness interrupted her development and left her needing continued medical monitoring for possible kidney and cardiovascular complications. The Marris and Galindo families later filed a civil lawsuit in Riverside County Superior Court against Baker and Moonlight Ridge, alleging that contaminated raw milk was negligently sold to them as suitable for human consumption. The allegations have not been decided by a court, and Baker told ProPublica that the farm intends to defend itself against the claims. The civil case remained pending in the latest reporting.
Author note: Last updated October 5, 2026.