Enlarge / Tom McClintock speaks to reporters with his wife Lori after participating in a debate at California State University, Sacramento September 24, 2003 in Sacramento, California. (credit: Getty | Justin Sullivan)
A garden-variety herbal remedy led to the abrupt and untimely death of Lori McClintock, the 61-year-old wife of US Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), according to a report from Kaiser Health News, which recently obtained documents from the coroner, the autopsy reports, as well as the amended death certificate.
Tom McClintock, who represents a district in Northern California, found his wife unresponsive at their home in Elk Grove on December 15, 2021, after he returned from Washington, DC. The coroner's report indicated that she had complained of an "upset stomach" the day before her death, but McClintock said that his wife was otherwise fine. He said she was "counting down the days to Christmas," wrapping presents, planning a family Christmas, and had recently joined a gym.
According to the coroner's documents, Lori McClintock's death resulted from "adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion." Ingestion of the tree leaves caused gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines) that led to dehydration, which caused her death. The coroner's documents noted that McClintock's body had elevated levels of nitrogen, sodium, and creatinine, which independent pathologists confirmed to KHN were signs of dehydration. The cause of death listed on her death certificate was updated from "pending" to an accident.
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