A California woman said her young children found a dead mouse over the weekend as they were celebrating a birthday at a Chuck E. Cheese in Stockton, according to a report.

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Shay Aguilar told KTXL that her family was celebrating her daughter's second birthday when the toddler and her 11-year-old brother found "a decomposing mouse" in a Chuck E. Cheese play structure.

A manager for the restaurant told KTXL that the children found a wadded up piece of paper, not a mouse.

"My son goes, 'Mom, I know what napkins look like and napkins do not have ears, tails and feet,'" Aguilar told the news station.

She said she was called by the franchise’s district manager, who apologized and gave her a refund for the money spent to hold her daughter’s birthday party at the restaurant.

The San Joaquin County Environmental Health Department is investigating Aguilar's allegation, according to KTXL.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez