E. coli poisonings in Aisne: the public health division of the Paris prosecutor's office is in charge of the investigation

The Paris public health unit took charge of the investigation into the poisonings in the Aisne region on Wednesday, which notably caused the death of a teenage girl , Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced in a press release on Thursday.

"In view of the number of victims, which now stands at 23, and the technical nature of the expected investigations, the Saint-Quentin public prosecutor's office has relinquished jurisdiction on June 25, 2025, to the public health division of the Paris public prosecutor's office," announced Laure Beccuau.

Since the first cases appeared in the Saint-Quentin metropolitan area on June 12, 22 children and one elderly person have contracted the Escherichia coli (also known as E. coli) bacteria. A teenage girl, Elise, died on June 16.

Suspecting a foodborne illness linked to meat, authorities have since last week preemptively closed four halal butcher shops and two meat departments in supermarkets in the Saint-Quentin metropolitan area. Samples taken from these outlets are still being examined.

On June 21, the Saint-Quentin public prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation into the charges of involuntary manslaughter, involuntary injury, endangerment and deception aggravated by endangering human health.

The investigations were entrusted to Oclaesp (Central Office for Combating Environmental and Public Health Attacks), BNEVP (National Brigade for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Investigations) and the Saint-Quentin police station.

"The same investigative services remain involved. The technical investigations aim to determine whether the children were contaminated by the same bacteria, and when," Laure Beccuau said.