A third-grade teacher and mom of three died two years after being served a cocktail containing industrial cleaner that left a hole in her esophagus on a date with her husband — and Oklahoma authorities are investigating.
Holly Hill, 30, said her mouth was “on fire” and she immediately “started throwing up” after being served a margarita at a Mexican restaurant in Elgin on Valentine’s Day 2023, her mother, Kelly Hunter, told News 9.
“Her mouth was on fire, and she knew something wasn’t right,” Hunter said.
“She immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom, started throwing up, started rinsing her mouth out with water,” she recalled.
The educator died on Thursday, from what her family said were complications related to the horrifying incident at Hacienda Las Margaritas Bar & Grill.
Hill reached a confidential settlement with the restaurant after suing them over her ongoing health complications, News 9 reported.
Days before her death, Hill had another procedure, in which doctors found that the “hole in her esophagus wasn’t healed but it was a bit better and not as inflamed, so they were able to call in a pulmonologist to assist in stitching it up,” her mother wrote on social media.
“She will have to continue tube feeds for a while longer. She will have to come back in a few weeks for a swallow study with contrast to check on progress.”
“For the past two and a half years, while continuing to teach and care for her family, Holly faced a long and difficult medical journey,” Hill’s obituary read.
On Friday, the Elgin Police Department, working with the Comanche County District Attorney, said it had contacted the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
State investigators “will initiate an initial inquiry into this matter and will be assisted by the Elgin Police Department,” Acting Police Chief Ralph Parsons said in an update Monday.
The restaurant is yet to comment publicly on the inquiry, but previously made a statement on social media in May 2023.
“We are very sorry for what happened … during these 10 years we have never had a situation like this, a situation that should not have occurred in the first place,” the statement read.
Hill was a beloved third-grade teacher at Elgin Public Schools, according to her obituary.
“This morning I received the unimaginable call that Holly had passed away unexpectedly. Holly was a dedicated teacher, Elgin Alumni, and beloved mother and wife,” Elgin Public Schools Superintendent Nate Meraz said in a statement Sunday.
A funeral for the teacher was held Tuesday morning at the Elgin Schools Performing Arts Center.
