Will County probes farm illness outbreak

The Will County Health Department is investigating a cluster of E. Coli cases that may be connected to a pumpkin farm in Homer Glen. Officials are currently analyzing more than 200 surveys from visitors who reported symptoms after attending the facility on or after September 29. The department has not yet confirmed the exact source of the bacterial infection.

Sharnay Buchanan from Chicago believes her 3-year-old son, Ezzittie Taylor, caught the illness during a visit to Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm. She said the boy went with his older brother two weeks ago and became sick shortly after returning home. Buchanan described the onset of his condition as sudden and alarming.

"My first reaction was really trying to figure out what to do, call a doctor, take him to an emergency room, like what is going on," Buchanan said. Her son experienced diarrhea, chills, and a rash on his back. She described the rash as raised and uncomfortable, comparing the texture to carpet in a statement to NBC Chicago.

Buchanan took her son to his pediatrician, who advised her to monitor him at home. The doctor explained that his young age might help him fight off the infection. "They said it could be a bacterial or E. Coli, it could be but that was based off seeing what was already going on," Buchanan recalled. She then reached out to the local health department to report the case.

In response to the suspected outbreak, Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm closed its petting zoo last week as a precautionary measure. The rest of the facility remains open to the public. Scott Bengtson, the farm owner, said the decision was made quickly after health officials raised concerns about the animal area.

"Safety is our number one priority, and as soon as they reached out, asked us to close, we said no problem, we said what about the rest of the grounds," Bengtson said. He noted that officials indicated they had no immediate worries about the non-petting zoo areas of the farm.

The health department has collected samples from animals at the farm and sent them for testing. The investigation into the specific source of the E. Coli remains ongoing as officials continue to narrow down the link between the farm and the confirmed cases.