A BELOVED teacher and mum-of-three has died two years after she was served a margarita laced with industrial cleaner during a Valentine’s Day date at a Mexican restaurant.
Holly Hill, 30, died last Thursday from complications linked to the 2023 incident at Hacienda Las Margaritas Bar & Grill in Elgin, Oklahoma.
Her mother, Kelly Hunter, said that Holly realised something was terribly wrong moments after taking a sip.
“Her mouth was on fire, and she knew something wasn’t right,” Hunter told News 9.
“She immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom, started throwing up, started rinsing her mouth out with water.”
According to her family, the second margarita Holly was served that night contained an industrial cleaning solution.
The chemical burned her throat and esophagus so severely that she required dozens of procedures over the next two years.
Days before her death, Holly, a third-grade teacher at Elgin Public Schools, underwent another surgery.
Doctors said the “hole in her esophagus wasn’t healed but it was a bit better and not as inflamed,” her mother wrote on social media.
Holly was still receiving tube feedings and preparing for a swallow study.
But her condition suddenly worsened.
“As they were trying to get her ready to transport her, they lost her pulse,” Hunter said.
Holly’s family believes the restaurant is responsible.
“We want them to be held accountable for taking my daughter’s life; because they did,” Hunter said.
“It might have been a long fight, but ultimately, they are the cause.”
The Hill family had previously sued Hacienda Las Margaritas, reaching a confidential settlement earlier this year.
“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,” her obituary read.
Elgin Public Schools Superintendent Nate Meraz called the loss “unimaginable.”
“Holly was a dedicated teacher, Elgin Alumni, and beloved mother and wife,” he said in a statement.
A funeral for Holly was held Tuesday at the Elgin Schools Performing Arts Center.
Authorities have now opened a criminal inquiry. Acting Elgin Police Chief Ralph Parsons said the department, working with the Comanche County District Attorney, asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to take over.
State investigators “will initiate an initial inquiry into this matter and will be assisted by the Elgin Police Department,” Parsons said.
The restaurant has not commented on Holly’s death, but previously posted an apology 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.”
Holly’s family says they will not stop until justice is done.
“The number one thing that we really want at this point … is we want people to be aware of what happened at that restaurant and to quit supporting them,” Hunter said.
