Rachel Maddox was 20 weeks pregnant when her world turned upside down. What started as a simple grocery trip to buy milk for her family ended in tragedy—the loss of her unborn son and a fight for her own life.
The Seminole County mother had purchased raw milk from Wild Hare Natural Market in Longwood, milk that came from Keely Farms Dairy in New Smyrna Beach.
According to report, despite the container being labeled “not for human consumption,” a store employee told her this was just a technicality required to sell the product.
Her two-year-old son drank the milk first. Within days, he developed severe nausea, fever, diarrhea, and dehydration that landed him in the hospital for 10 days.
While caring for her sick toddler, Maddox became ill herself—sicker than she’d ever been in her life.
“I came really close to dying, and our unborn son did die,” Maddox told News 6. “The doctors told me I was lucky to be alive.”
Maddox spent 19 days in the hospital, developed sepsis, and lost her baby. Both she and her son tested positive for Campylobacter, the same dangerous bacteria that health officials linked to Keely Farms’ raw milk.
The Maddox family wasn’t alone. Since January, the Florida Department of Health has identified at least 21 cases of E. coli and Campylobacter infections connected to Keely Farms.
Seven people required hospitalization, two suffered serious complications, and six of those infected were children under 10.
In Florida, selling raw milk for human consumption is illegal, though people can still choose to drink it.
The farm can only legally sell its milk as livestock feed, which is why the containers carried the “not for human consumption” warning.
Now Maddox is suing both Keely Farms and Wild Hare Natural Market. Her attorney, Ron Simon, argues that both businesses failed to adequately warn customers about the serious health risks.
“Those who produce and sell raw milk know the extreme risk of bacterial infection and have a duty to warn consumers,” Simon said.
“Keely Farms Dairy failed in that duty, and this outbreak is the result.”
Keely Farms disputes the allegations, claiming state officials unfairly linked their products to the illnesses without proper testing.
In a public fundraiser, the farm described itself as a simple operation that just wants to “milk our cows, provide livestock feed, and serve our community.”
The farm maintains they followed all legal requirements by labeling their products as livestock feed.
