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Woman taken to ER after eating at Las Vegas restaurant under investigation for 'adulterated' food

Secret of Siam investigation
Secret of Siam investigation
Posted at 10:22 PM, Feb 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-16 19:11:43-05

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Multiple agencies in Southern Nevada are investigating what they call "adulterated food" at a local restaurant.

This weekend, multiple people reached out the 13 Action News to say they were served tainted food at Secret of Siam in Centennial Hills. The restaurant on Centennial Center Boulevard was closed Monday.

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A rash of complaints have been leveled against the restaurant. Some say they felt odd or under the influence after eating there — and at least one woman was hospitalized following her visit.

"I was terrified," said Hilary Vandenkooy. "I thought I was going to die."

Vandenkooy says she got a pick-up order from Secret of Siam on Friday, and about 40 minutes after eating her to-go curry, she knew something wasn't right.

"I started feeling really, really heavy and disoriented, and I started feeling like I was going to pass out," she said. "My heart was racing."

Vandenkooy has a serious heart condition, so her husband rushed her to the emergency room. She says doctors there feared she was having a stroke.

"I ended up being there for a little over 24 hours, getting CT scans, MRIs, getting an ultrasound on my carotid artery, and an echocardiogram," she said.

But after reading posts on social media and review sites that accounted similar things happening to others after eating at the restaurant, Vandenkooy — who's not a drug user — had a question for her doctor.

"I said, 'Will you test me for drugs, because I think I know what happened,'" she said. "And he said, 'I don't need to. When you came in, you had high levels of THC.'"

Vandenkooy believes the food she ate contained drugs. Now, the Southern Nevada Health District and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigations unit are looking into hers and similar accounts.

Secret of Siam investigation
A sign on the door at Secret of Siam in Centennial Hills reads "Temporary Closed" on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police confirmed detectives and health inspectors are investigation reports that "adulterated" food was recently served at the restaurant.

Secret of Siam's closure came as a surprise for customers like June Kelley, who placed an online to-go order on Monday.

"I put the order in and it gave me an email saying it was all set," Kelley said. "They charged my credit card."

But she arrived to find a closed door.

"That's a little scary," Kelley said, "especially since we've eaten here a couple of times before. Never had an issue."

The health district last inspected the restaurant on Thursday, Feb. 10, giving it an "A" grade. 13 Action News called the shop's listed owner multiple times on Monday, but received no answer.

Anyone who recently ate at Secret of Siam and thinks they might have consumed tainted food is invited to contact the health district or Metro police to add their report to the ongoing investigation.