Overview
- The Mendocino County sheriff said a 78-year-old Redwood Valley woman, bitten April 8 on rural property, died April 10 after hospital care, and a preliminary autopsy cited snake envenomation and a severe clotting disorder.
- Her death is California’s third snakebite fatality of 2026 after separate rattlesnake bites killed a 25-year-old mountain biker in Irvine in February and a 46-year-old hiker in Ventura County in March.
- The California Poison Control System recorded 77 rattlesnake bite reports in the first three months of 2026, well above what officials expect so early in the year.
- Wildlife researchers point to heavy winter rains that boosted vegetation and rodents, plus an early heatwave, which brought rattlesnakes out sooner and shifted more activity into daylight hours.
- Local warnings continue as nonfatal bites persist, including a Palos Verdes Estates case Friday that prompted reminders to stay on trails, give snakes space, call 911, and avoid cutting, suction, ice, or tourniquets.