Moorpark woman dies from rattlesnake bite, medical examiner says

A Moorpark woman has died after she was bitten by a rattlesnake, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.

The cause of death for Gabriela Bautista, 46, was officially listed as rattlesnake venom toxicity in an accidental manner. She died on March 19, the medical examiner's office said.

On Wednesday, Ventura County Fire Department officials said that the incident happened on March 14 at Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks while Bautista was hiking. 

Her death comes just weeks after a 25-year-old Costa Mesa man died from a rattlesnake bite he suffered in February. Julian Hernandez's brother said he was mountain biking at Quail Hill Trailhead in Irvine when he was bitten.

Experts believe the recent unseasonal heat has brought rattlesnakes out at a higher rate than typical. Reserve manager Melissa Borde of The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, a Huntington Beach state park, said the reptiles have been active as of late.

On Wednesday, U.S. Forest Service rangers shared a warning with the public due to an increase in rattlesnake sightings in the San Bernardino National Forest area.