North Carolina teen found dead in Florida a week after sending mom chilling text
The body of a missing North Carolina teen has been found in Florida, where he disappeared more than a week ago after sending a disturbing final message to his mother, according to family and officials.
Giovanni Pelletier, 18, was found dead in a retention pond near the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Road 70 on Friday, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office told FOX13 Tampa on Saturday. His backpack and cellphone were found nearby the previous day.
Pelletier’s mother, Bridgette Pelletier, confirmed the body of her son was found in a Facebook post.
“My son was recently found after a desperate search by OUR FAMILY ALONE, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death,” she wrote. “I am living every parent’s worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we try to navigate this for his 4 younger siblings.”
US JOURNALIST MISSING IN NORWAY AFTER BACKPACKING TRIP, FAMILY SAYS
Pelletier’s cause of death was not immediately known.
Pelletier, who lived in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, with his family, was last seen on Aug. 1 while on vacation with his family in Englewood, Florida, when he left around 1:30 a.m. to visit relatives in Brevard County, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said.
The teen had left in a vehicle with cousins from his estranged biological father’s side of the family, WRAL News reported. But shortly into the trip, Pelletier sent a chilling text message to his mother: “Mom, help.” He reportedly sent similar messages to his grandfather and an aunt on his father’s side.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said the cousins said Pelletier “suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70” in Manatee County.
MINNESOTA HIKER VANISHES IN WYOMING’S BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, LEAVING WIFE ‘TRYING TO STAY STRONG’ FOR THEIR KIDS
Pelletier family members from North Carolina immediately began searching for the missing 18-year-old. Nearly two dozen others joined the search effort on Monday, using ATVs and drones, FOX13 reported.
Pelletier’s aunt, Desiree Pelletier, told WRAL News on Thursday, before the teen’s body was found, that the family was concerned about the involvement of the cousins after she claimed they changed their story.
“How on earth are we supposed to be okay with these three boys saying this is what happened and then they change it?” she told the station. “How are we supposed to be okay and not go for the possibility of something happened to him?”
The white Chevy Malibu that Pelletier had traveled in with his cousins has been seized by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, according to FOX13.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
No further details about the investigation were immediately available.
Abbott warns Texas Democrats of ongoing arrest threat if they return after walkout
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned state Democrats that the threat of arrest upon returning to Texas will last “for literally years” on Sunday.
Abbott made the statement during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. He argued it is within his authority to keep the Texas legislature in a special session indefinitely, extending the penalties for Democrats who fled the state.
“I’m authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days. And as soon as this one is over, I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another, then another one,” Abbott said.
“If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the Capitol. If they want to evade that arrest, they’re gonna have to stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years,” he added.
TEXAS DEMOCRATS FLEE STATE TO BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING VOTE IN DRAMATIC LEGISLATIVE MOVE
The warning comes as Abbott is seeking to remove delinquent Democrats from office, arguing they have abdicated their roles under the state constitution.
“We have a situation where lawmakers are violating the law in Article 3 of the Texas Constitution where they are required to act on bills. Because they’re violating that constitutional mandate, that means they are not fulfilling their oath of office, and they can be removed from office in this legal action that I’m taking,” he said.
TRUMP, REPUBLICANS RACE TO REDRAW TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL MAP AS DEMOCRATS THREATEN LEGAL WAR
At least 100 members of the 150-member Texas House must be present to conduct business, and approximately 50 of the Democrats have left. Abbott says their commitment to voting as elected state officials is a duty and is “not optional.”
COLBERT CONFRONTS JB PRITZKER WITH MAP SHOWING ILLINOIS GERRYMANDERING
Most of the Democrats have set up in Illinois and New York, where they have received the backing of Democratic governors J.B. Pritzker and Kathy Hochul, respectively.
Alongside Abbott’s extended threat of arrest, the Republican governor has also threatened to increase the redistricting margin for his party if lawmakers don’t return to Austin.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“What I’m thinking now is that if they don’t start showing up, I may start expanding,” Abbott said during an appearance on the “Ruthless” podcast. “We may make it six or seven or eight new seats we’re going to be adding on the Republican side.”
GOP senators lift curtain on dealmaking that sealed Trump’s $3.3T megabill
Senate Republicans left Washington this week to sell President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” but the road to creating and passing the legislation began just over a year and a half ago.
Trump’s $3.3 trillion megabill, crammed with his legislative priorities on border security, defense and energy, was a product months in the making. And it was the marquee policy in the bill, which was to extend or make permanent many of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, that was the driving force behind Republicans’ desire to pass it.
But Senate Republicans have had little time to rest on their laurels and celebrate the bill’s passage, spending the month since Trump signed it advancing a $9 billion clawback package and trying to ram through Senate Democrats’ blockade of the president’s nominees.
SENATE PASSES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMA
The journey to pass the bill began well before Republicans had a trifecta in Washington in early 2024, when then-Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso, R-Wyo., hosted a policy retreat with Senate Republicans to hash out what the GOP’s agenda could look like should the win out in November.
And months later, Trump visited with Senate Republicans to discuss the strategy they had been working on behind-the-scenes.
“With President Trump in the White House, we discussed how Republicans will get America back on track,” Barrasso said at the time. “That starts with helping families escape the pain of Democrat high prices, unleashing American energy, stopping Democrat tax increases, and securing the Southern Border. Republicans are united.”
The real, nitty-gritty work began in January where concepts were taken and fleshed out into legislation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to leapfrog the House and move forward with the Senate’s own budget framework, which initially divided the “big, beautiful bill” into two chunks. That added pressure on Republicans in the lower chamber to coalesce behind a plan of their own.
For much of the earlier part of this year, however, the Senate was waiting on the House to fine-tune and pass their own version of the bill. Still, Thune and his leadership team, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., worked to get a product from one side of the building to the other that the Senate GOP could work with.
TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES REPUBLICAN FAMILY FEUD AS SENATE REVEALS ITS FINAL TEXT
And when the bill made its way to the upper chamber in early June, the pressure was on to deliver a finished product to Trump by July 4, an artificial deadline used to help corral lawmakers into finishing work on the bill.
One of the major disagreements in the upper chamber before the bill ever hit the floor was over the nature of cuts to Medicaid, particularly aimed at the provider tax rate. The issue was eventually smoothed over through the creation of a $50 billion rural hospital fund, but lawmakers who sounded the alarm against it vowed to ensure that the changes to the provider would never take effect.
“I think it was a huge mistake,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said at the time. “I think this has been an unhappy episode here in Congress, this effort to cut Medicaid.”
“And I think, frankly, my party needs to do some soul-searching,” he continued. “If you want to be a working class party, you’ve got to get delivered for working class people. You cannot take away health care from working people.”
And when the bill did finally hit the floor for what would evolve into a multi-day affair of passing through procedural hurdles, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., forcing the reading of the entire bill and a marathon vote-a-rama, Senate Republicans were still not entirely on board.
At first, a cohort of fiscal hawks led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., appeared to not support the package — they wanted even deeper cuts to Medicaid by tweaking the percentage that the federal government pays for healthcare in states that opted into Obamacare, which they argued would have saved billions extra.
They were offered an amendment that eventually never came to the floor, but was enough for them to back down from tanking the bill. And their resistance began in the first of a handful of huddles inside Thune’s office outside the Senate floor.
TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE THE SENATE’S VERSION OF TRUMP’S BILL
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., joined them for the closed-door conversations, and told Fox News Digital that while her vote was not contingent on getting the change added, she wanted to make the case for why it should be.
“It saved a lot of money,” she said. “It saved a lot of money, and so I was anxious to see us use the opportunity, since we were able to open up mandatory spending, use the opportunity to really save some money.”
And later on, in the wee hours of the night, Republicans were bouncing from Thune’s office to the Senate floor, hashing out deals as they went to get Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to support the bill, knowing that Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., could vote against it.
“Sometimes it’s got to be put on a clock, because at some point the argument has to come to an end,” Mullin told Fox News Digital. “And that’s why we had to do some of it on the floor. We had to, we had to force the hand.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
And in the end, only three Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Collins and Tillis voted against the bill. From there it went to the House, where Republicans in the lower chamber had their own dramatic rally to pass the legislative behemoth.
And now, as Republicans scatter to their home states to sell the bill to their constituents, Tillis said that the “foundational” piece of information that lawmakers can share is that they averted a nationwide tax hike.
“The shame of the Medicaid provision is that the vast majority of the bill is supported,” he told Fox News Digital. “I think we have to remind them the problem with the tax bill is they’re not going to see a cut, but if we hadn’t done it, they would have seen a historic increase.”
“So we need to remind them of what we’re doing is continuing what we started, and the economy that we created, it was able to withstand COVID,” he continued. “And I firmly believe if we hadn’t passed it. We’d have been in a different posture.”
‘Fertile ground for dealers’: Young entrepreneur’s death rocks luxury enclave
MONTAUK, N.Y. — From Key West to Lake Tahoe, formerly quiet enclaves across the country are grappling with the impact of rising wealth, short-term rentals and influencer-fueled tourism.
In one such town on the eastern edge of Long Island in New York, the sudden death of a young fashion entrepreneur has stirred new concerns about how a once-tight-knit fishing village is being transformed by these cultural shifts.
Martha Nolan, a 33-year-old Irish immigrant, was found dead early Tuesday morning aboard a luxury yacht docked at an exclusive marina. Police said they are not treating the case as foul play and the cause of death remains inconclusive pending toxicology results.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether drugs were involved. Still, the case is stirring anxiety among locals about what some describe as an ever-growing party culture fueled by visiting social media influencers and young professionals escaping the city grind for a glamorous weekend or summer vacation.
MONTAUK YACHT DEATH: TIMELINE REVEALS BIKINI MOGUL’S FINAL DAYS IN HAMPTONS BEFORE MYSTERIOUS DEMISE
“It’s absolutely changed,” Tommy Rando, a marina operator born and raised in town, told Fox News Digital. “Social media put Montauk on the map. It used to be a fishing village… now it’s a very happening place.”
“This is mostly a peaceful, family-friendly spot,” another local resident told Fox News Digital. “But in the summer, there’s a younger crowd that comes in and they party hard. You see the yachts, the nightlife — it’s become a kind of escape valve for New York’s elite.”
Located on the eastern tip of Long Island and beyond the rest of the ritzy Hamptons area, Montauk has witnessed a boom in luxury redevelopment, with major investments and renovations to hotels and docks, including the exclusive Montauk Yacht Club where Nolan was found and was a frequent patron.
Many wealthy people descend on the area via the vibrant yacht scene, with one woman telling Fox News Digital that sea-goers follow a popular luxury loop — describing it as part of a well-worn yacht circuit connecting Newport, Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Others come from Florida or the Cayman Islands and their boats are brought up via the Intracoastal Waterway.
Revelers party summer nights away as the sun goes down, with boats becoming floating extensions of the bar scene. Locals say weekend nightlife now stretches deep into the early morning, and it’s not uncommon to hear music blasting around the marina in the wee hours.
IRISH BEAUTY WHO SOLD BIKINIS FOUND DEAD ON BOAT AT LUXURY YACHT CLUB, HOMICIDE COPS PROBE
Michael Brown, a former DEA senior special agent, said that money, parties and youth are fertile ground for drug-pushers looking to capitalize on curiosity, trust and the illusion of safety. Sometimes, it can have deadly consequences. Dealers have been lacing drugs with fentanyl, causing an explosion in overdose deaths, he said.
“Young adults are going to do drugs,” Brown said. “That’s just a given… But you don’t know what’s in what you’re taking. And if I’m wrong, I’m gonna die in 30 seconds.”
Well over 100,000 people around the nation die from drug overdoses every year, although total drug-related fatalities dropped from around 111,000 in 2022 to approximately 107,500, marking the first fall in five years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Local dealers spike cocaine with small amounts of fentanyl — not necessarily enough to kill, but to intensify the high and hook new users,” said Brown, the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices.
“We’re talking about individuals who are very well-off, especially young individuals — they have the money to spend. Drug traffickers know this is fertile ground for distribution. Dealers are taking advantage of individuals who don’t know they’re buying fentanyl.”
WATCH: Clothing designer found dead on boat in Hamptons
“Fentanyl has jumped all racial, ethnic, religious, and income lines,” he added. “It’s in every community — high-income, middle-income, and low-income.”
One lifelong Montauk resident and business owner in his 70s lamented the dramatic transformation in the town’s character over the past few decades.
Once a tight-knit fishing village where “everybody knew everybody,” Montauk has, in his view, become an enclave for wealthy outsiders and partygoers who have little connection to the community.
He reminisced about the summers when Irish youth would come over to work seasonal jobs in bars, restaurants, and marinas — often forming lasting bonds with locals and leaving with fond memories.
“The most you’d see wrong with them was a few drinks,” he said, calling them “completely innocent compared to this other class that’s coming out here.”
Now, he said, Montauk draws “spoiled kids using their parents’ credit cards” and has become a hub for influencers and drug use. He said that over-priced hotel rooms and bottle-service clubs have fed into a culture of overspend and synthetic highs — where image matters above all else.
“Montauk was known as a small fishing village with a drinking problem. That is very true,” he said. “Now it’s… craziness.”
Still, for most of Montauk, life carried on this week.
Wednesday night at the Montauk Yacht Club, the restaurant was bustling with well‑to‑do patrons in evening attire. In one corner, about two dozen people participated in a wine‑tasting session — a reminder of Montauk’s upscale side.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
During the day, families strolled barefoot across golden sand. Kids slurped ice cream outside weathered beachfront shacks and the town’s beloved cafés buzzed with brunch crowds ordering iced lattes and açaí bowls. The sun spilled across the docks and dunes. Young people played beach volleyball, and for a moment, it was easy to forget anything dark had ever touched this place.
But a tragedy had, and on Wednesday evening, a woman walked quietly to the marina — to the boat where Nolan had been found.
She remembered Nolan as kind, warm, and driven — someone who was just beginning to make a name for herself, a view shared by many other boaters.
“She was very sweet, very genuine,” the woman said through tears. “She was just getting started. It’s heartbreaking.”
‘I ran away’: 80s bombshell reveals why she fled Hollywood at peak of her fame
’80s star Kelly LeBrock is reflecting on why she abruptly left Hollywood at the height of her fame.
The 65-year-old actress launched her modeling career when she was 16 and later rose to stardom with leading roles in 1984’s “The Woman in Red” and 1985’s “Weird Science.” In 1987, LeBrock married action star Steven Seagal, with whom she later co-starred in the 1990 hit “Hard to Kill.” The former couple welcomed three children before their highly publicized divorce in 1996.
Following their split, LeBrock quit the entertainment industry and moved to a ranch near Santa Barbara, California, where she raised her children. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, LeBrock recalled her decision to flee the spotlight for a simpler life.
“I ran away. I didn’t step away,” LeBrock clarified. “I ran away.”
She continued, “I was never impressed with myself or Hollywood. I never really cared about it. And I did the right thing.”
‘80S STAR KELLY LEBROCK TALKS NEW FILM ’TOMORROW’S TODAY,’ WHY SHE LEFT HOLLYWOOD FOR ‘THE WILDERNESS’
“You know, I could always go back to a career, but I couldn’t go back to my children,” Lebrock added. “And that was the most important thing to me was raising my children, because I grew up in boarding school. At five [years old], I was sent away. And I didn’t want to have that story for my children.”
The New York native, who was also raised in London, and Seagal are parents to daughter Annaliza, 38, son Dominic, 35, and daughter Arissa, 32. While speaking with Fox News Digital, LeBrock shared an update on her children’s lives now. She noted that Annaliza works as a deputy sheriff in Siskiyou County, which is located in the northwestern part of California. Lebrock said that Dominic is currently in Russia, where he is “just starting a film production.”
“And I have my lovely youngest daughter who can do whatever she likes,” LeBrock said of Arissa, with whom she co-starred in the 2017 Lifetime reality show “Growing Up Supermodel.”
In addition to modeling and acting, Arissa has pursued a career in professional wrestling.
“She’s brilliant at everything,” Lebrock added. So I’m proud of them. I have three wonderful grandchildren.”
Meanwhile, LeBrock said she has continued to enjoy her quiet life on her ranch in rural Southern California.
“I have a bevy of animals, which is what I was doing,” she said. “I was taking care of the chickens and the sheep and the goats and the horses and the dogs and the cats.”
“So, I really ran away,” LeBrock said. “I mean, the hardest thing for me is not putting on makeup or trying to look nice. It’s trying to get those chin hairs out of my chin. And it’s a whole new world. What can I say? But I’m excited about my future. I’m developing a Kelly Care product, which is going to help people with their wounds for their pets and grooming. And I’m excited about that, but not interested in Hollywood.”
While LeBrock noted that it was her divorce from Seagal that prompted her exit from Hollywood, she explained that she really never felt comfortable in the industry.
“The crowd is very ugly, and I didn’t want any part of that,” she said. “I’m really quite shy, and I’m a homebody. I spent the two years of COVID completely by myself, pretty much in the wilderness. And you learn a lot about yourself when you’re not in the noise.”
“And yeah, life’s good now,” LeBrock added.
LeBrock was one of the industry’s top models in the 1970s before embarking on her acting career. Shortly after her star-making turn in “Weird Science,” LeBrock became the face of a beauty campaign for the Pantene haircare line and famously appeared in a shampoo commercial in which she delivered the now-iconic line “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”
In a 2012 interview with Allure magazine, LeBrock recalled that she was initially uncomfortable with saying the line and almost left the audition.
“I used to be so insecure and self-conscious that if anybody even looked at me, I’d go red,” LeBrock told the outlet. “So even though it was obviously tongue-in-cheek, it was really difficult to say, ‘Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.'”
During her interview with Fox News Digital, LeBrock explained that she has gained more confidence as she has aged.
“I never thought I was beautiful,” she shared. “I feel more beautiful now than I did then. And that’s sad. Youth is wasted on the young, that’s for sure.”
Looking back, LeBrock said that adjusting to her life in “the wilderness” wasn’t that difficult.
“I grew up in a very isolated area, the five, six years of my life, playing in fields and unattended by parents,” she recalled. “And that saved my soul. I think when you can be in nature and be without people, then you get to know yourself, and you’re comfortable.”
However, LeBrock explained that ranch life was not without its perils.
“There’s mountain lions and big rattlesnakes and tarantulas and bears, but the lions are big,” she said. “And the last time I saw one, I ran home on my horse, and I haven’t been down to that area since, because they’re pretty big.”
LeBrock told Fox News Digital that she was disheartened by today’s culture, which she noted was more disconnected from nature. She pointed out how technology’s increasingly dominant role in daily life has limited human interaction.
“I’m really sad for our society,” she said. “You go into an airport, you go into a restaurant, nobody’s talking. They’re all on their phones. It’s like a sickness. It’s like a drug. And I don’t want any part of that. It’s just confusing to me.”
Despite permanently moving away from Hollywood, LeBrock has made occasional forays back into her former profession.
Over the years, she has made appearances in movies, most recently taking on the role of Donna, a grieving mother and former gangster’s ex-wife, in the 2021 comedy “Tomorrow’s Today.” She has also competed on reality shows, including “Celebrity Fit Club” and “Hell’s Kitchen.”
This year, LeBrock and her “Weird Science” co-stars are celebrating the movie’s 40th anniversary.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Directed by John Hughes, the Frankenstein-inspired science fiction comedy followed nerdy teenage best friends Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) and Gary (Anthony Michael Hall), who create their dream girl with the help of a computer.
LeBrock played their dream girl named Lisa, who possesses the looks of a model, the intelligence of Albert Einstein, the fashion sense of David Lee Roth, along with superpowers including teleportation and time manipulation.
The actress remembered feeling some trepidation after she arrived on set for the first time.
“It was only my second film, and it had been filming for six weeks,” she said. “So to be sort of unknown to go into a film that’s been filming that long with a tribe of people who were all very interwoven, they already were good actors and everything — that was a bit frightening. It was like the first day at boarding school.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“And John Hughes was such a child and just an amazing human being,” she added. “And yeah, the cast of characters speak for themselves.”
LeBrock told Fox News Digital that she never imagined “Weird Science” would become so iconic.
“You never think about when you’re doing something, what’s gonna happen,” she said. “You just wanna do a good job and go home. No, you never know. And then sometimes you think something’s gonna be great, and it falls flat on its butt. So yeah, chance is a fine thing.”
Robert Downey Jr. also played a minor role in the movie. LeBrock recalled that the “Iron Man” star was a “complete character” on set.
“We never knew how big he was going to be and to have such a small role in an iconic film was interesting to watch how he grew and how he saved his life basically by getting straight,” she said. “That’s a cool story.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
While speaking with Fox News Digital, LeBrock reflected on why the film continues to resonate with audiences today.
“Because we had fun in those days,” she explained. “There weren’t all these complications that are here today. People actually looked like how they looked. It was just a fun, easygoing period in life.”
“Where if we had cameras and smartphones in those days, we’d all be arrested,” LeBrock added.
Neurologists reveal the top 3 foods to avoid to protect your brain and nervous system
Doctors recommend foods like berries, nuts, fish packed with omega-3 fatty acids and even dark chocolate for neurological health. They also discourage foods high in sugar and saturated fat, which can increase the risk of stroke and dementia.
But there are lesser-known foods that can also create a real headache, according to neurologists.
“While food-borne illness is often associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, some pathogens and toxins directly affect the nervous system, sometimes with severe or long-term consequences,” said Dr. Mary Ann Picone, a neurologist at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey.
EATING THESE COMMON FOODS COULD REDUCE ALZHEIMER’S RISK, EXPERTS SAY
Because the illnesses are less common and symptoms can be slow to appear, even doctors can underestimate or miss the neurological component, Picone told Fox News Digital.
Experts say international travel and home food preparation can increase your risk of contracting them. Here are three common foods that neurologists caution could put you at risk of toxins and bugs.
1. Canned foods that appear damaged
“If a can is bulging, cracked or severely dented, that’s a red flag for botulinum contamination,” Dr. Baibing Chen, a Michigan neurologist and epileptologist, said in recent videos posted on TikTok and Instagram, where he is known as Dr. Bing.
Botulinum toxin is odorless and tasteless, and heating the contaminated food may not fully neutralize it, Chen warned. “When in doubt, throw it out,” he said.
The potent neurotoxin can cause botulism, a rare but serious illness that attacks the nerves, leading to muscle paralysis, breathing difficulty, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Home-canned, low-acid foods including green beans, asparagus, corn, meats, garlic and fermented fish are the most risky, Picone said.
To prevent botulism, the CDC recommends refrigerating or freezing leftovers promptly after cooking, throwing away damaged or bulging cans, and following the USDA’s guide to home-canning.
2. Reef fish
“I like eating fish, but I try to avoid eating large tropical reef fish like barracuda, grouper and Amberjack because of a neurotoxin called ciguatoxin,” Chen said.
Ciguatoxin is a neurotoxin produced by certain algae in coral reefs as a defense mechanism. It can travel up the food chain from herbivorous fish to carnivorous fish and eventually humans.
DEATH CONFIRMED FROM RARE AND DEADLY ‘BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA’ IN SOUTHERN LAKE
The neurological symptoms of ciguatoxin poisoning can include feelings of tingling and numbness, reverse temperature sensations where hot objects feel cold and cold objects feel hot, and vivid nightmares, Chen said.
Approximately 50,000 cases of ciguatera poisoning are reported worldwide annually, according to the CDC, but the numbers may be higher because it is often misdiagnosed.
The toxin is heat-stable, he added, so cooking the fish won’t destroy it. “This doesn’t mean you can’t eat fish,” he said.
“Just avoid or limit consumption of large predatory fish, avoid eating certain parts, like the liver or roe, and be aware of endemic areas.”
Ciguatera is common in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean Sea, according to the CDC.
3. Under-cooked pork
Chen said he does not eat under-cooked pork, especially from unregulated sources, because of the risk of neurocysticercosis.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Neurocysticercosis occurs after a person swallows pork tapeworm eggs, according to the CDC. The larvae migrate to tissues like the brain and form cysts, which are diagnosed when found in the central nervous system.
“A little-known fact is that it’s actually one of the leading causes of acquired epilepsy worldwide,” Chen said of the infection. “And it’s not just in developing countries, but can also be seen in developed countries in areas with poor sanitation.”
There are about 1,000 new hospitalizations for neurocysticercosis in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC, and cases are most frequently reported in New York, California, Texas, Oregon and Illinois.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It can be prevented by handwashing, cleaning and peeling fruits and vegetables, and only drinking bottled water or drinks or water boiled for at least one minute in countries where the supply may be unsafe.
Ancient fingerprint leads to stunning King Josiah connection in Holy Land discovery
An archaeologist who was recently sifting through debris in Israel uncovered a link to a legendary biblical king from the House of David.
The Temple Mount Sifting Project announced the discovery on July 30 of a rare clay seal impression bearing the name “Yed[a‛]yah (son of) Asayahu.”
The project is dedicated to recovering artifacts from dumped soil that was illegally removed from the Temple Mount during unsupervised construction in 1999 by the Islamic Waqf.
RARE 1,600-YEAR-OLD MOSAIC FROM CHRISTIAN MONASTERY UNVEILED AFTER CENTURIES OF OBSCURITY
The archaeologically rich soil was dumped in the nearby Kidron Valley, where archaeologists, volunteers and tourists now gather to sift through the discarded debris in search of ancient Jewish artifacts.
The recent discovery was made on the eve of the 17th of Tammuz, a Jewish fast day marking the breach of Jerusalem’s walls before the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
Archaeologist Mordechai Ehrlich discovered what the project described as a “rare and exceptionally well-preserved clay sealing, impressed by a stamp seal inscribed with ancient Hebrew letters.”
“The sealing still retains a clear fingerprint, presumably left by the ancient official who once owned it,” the project noted.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER ANCIENT ‘FACTORY’ USED TO PRODUCE COVETED PURPLE DYE MENTIONED IN BIBLE
Based on its script, the artifact dates to the late 7th or early 6th century B.C. – during the reign of King Josiah, who ruled Judah and oversaw major Temple reforms.
“Among Josiah’s trusted envoys was a senior official named Asayahu, described as ‘the king’s servant,'” the release stated.
“Given his prominent role, it is reasonable to assume that his son, Yeda‛yah, may have also served in a high-ranking capacity, either at the same time or shortly thereafter.”
“Thus, the clay sealing’s owner was probably involved in Temple administration or the royal household, much like his father.”
King Josiah was a central figure in Jewish history.
After ordering repairs to the First Temple in Jerusalem, his workers found an ancient scroll that the royal scribe then read to the king.
The scroll, the project said, contained “warnings about the people’s sins and impending divine punishment deeply alarmed the king.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
The release added, “Josiah then dispatched trusted officials to seek divine counsel from the prophetess Huldah, who foretold Jerusalem’s future destruction but assured Josiah that he personally would not live to witness it.”
Marks on the back of the seal suggest it was used to seal a bag or container – offering a glimpse into the ancient official’s life.
The Temple Mount Sifting Project said that the possibility of a link between the seal and King Josiah was “highly plausible.”
“Historically, seals like these were reserved for officials of high rank, and many individuals named in similar discoveries from Jerusalem have been directly identified with biblical-era officials,” officials said.
“Thus, the clay sealing’s owner was probably involved in Temple administration or the royal household, much like his father,” the project said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to the Temple Mount Sifting Project for additional information.
NASCAR star’s celebration turns painful after roof slip at Watkins Glen
NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Connor Zilisch took a tough tumble on Saturday as he celebrated a victory at Watkins Glen International in New York – his sixth win of the 2025 season.
Zilisch climbed onto the roof of his No. 88 to celebrate the win. He slipped after his left foot caught in the driver’s side window netting and he tumbled onto the asphalt.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
He wrote on social media that he suffered a broken collarbone.
“Thank you everybody for reaching out today,” Zilisch posted on C. “I’m out of the hospital and getting better already. Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn’t any worse.”
TRACKHOUSE RACING SIGNS SHANE VAN GISBERGEN TO MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION
Zilisch was set to race in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday at Watkins Glen. Trackhouse Racing withdrew the No. 87 that he was set to compete in. His next Xfinity Series start is scheduled for Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway.
He missed a race earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway after sustaining a back injury during a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. He’s recorded 11 consecutive top-five finishes and five wins since his return, and won four out of the last five races.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He’s currently seven points ahead of Justin Allgaier in the drivers’ standings. The 19-year-old has 12 top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes this season.