Parents in a wealthy California community say newly released state cancer figures have only fueled fears that years of pesticide spraying could be linked to a cluster of rare childhood cancers.

Families in Orange County’s Ladera Ranch have spent months pushing officials to investigate whether environmental factors played a role in an alarming number of Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among local children.

Health officials say no link has been established, but residents argue the latest data has only raised more questions.

The California Cancer Registry confirmed there were fewer than 11 cases of Ewing sarcoma in Ladera Ranch during a 10-year period ending in 2021.

But for many parents, the numbers are already outdated.

The data does not include several diagnoses reported after 2021, including 17-year-old Brody Matteson, who died in March 2026 after battling the rare bone and soft tissue cancer.

“Has that number grown?” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley asked CBS. “If it has grown, has it grown to a significant incident that it would be a cause for alarm. We need answers so that we can plan. So that we can protect the public health.”

Foley said she has repeatedly asked for more detailed information, including a map showing where Orange County’s cases have occurred, but has not been able to obtain one.

“There are 35 cases in Orange County as of 2021,” she said. “I have asked multiple times, can we get a map that shows that pinpoints where these 35 cases are in Orange County? So far, no one has been able to get me that information.”

Instead of easing fears, the state’s numbers have left residents demanding even more answers.

Many families have pointed to years of pesticide and herbicide use throughout the sprawling master-planned community as a possible environmental factor.

Authorities, however, have not found evidence linking those chemicals to the cancer cases.

“It seems like it’s an unreal number of kids sick,” resident Karen Smith told CBS. “We want to know what is the true cause.”

Ewing sarcoma is among the rarest childhood cancers, affecting only about 200 to 240 children and teens nationwide each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The disease has devastated families across Ladera Ranch.

Twenty-three-year-old Lily Dalton died in January after battling Ewing sarcoma.

Her father, Brian Dalton, has publicly asked, “Why are so many young children and adults developing incredibly rare cancers in the same community?”

Brody Matteson’s family said his battle began after he complained of persistent back pain shortly before his 16th birthday.

Doctors later discovered the cancer had developed on his spine.

“He was an outdoor kid. There was a time to be outside, that was Brody,” his mother, Megan Matteson, told NBC Los Angeles. “He was out on his bike, out at the park. They were building bike jumps. He was out at all the parks around Ladera.”

The concerns have also spread beyond Ewing sarcoma.

Jessica Keetch said her 18-year-old daughter, Haven, lost her leg after developing synovial sarcoma, another rare cancer that affects fewer than 1,000 Americans each year.

The growing alarm has now drawn federal attention.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli has asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to investigate whether environmental factors could be contributing to what residents believe may be a cancer cluster, and whether any federal environmental laws have been violated.

“My office has been made aware of recent reports of multiple pediatric Ewing sarcoma cases within the Ladera Ranch community. Residents are raising concerns about a potential cancer cluster and whether environmental factors may warrant further evaluation,” Essayli wrote in a letter obtained by The California Post.

At the same time, Bond Legal has launched its own investigation, seeking information from families whose children lived in or regularly visited Ladera Ranch and were diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma or other rare childhood cancers.

The firm said it plans to examine possible environmental exposures, including historical pesticide and herbicide applications, soil and groundwater conditions, former agricultural land use and other potential hazards.