Six butchers charged in deadly 2025 E.coli outbreak in Aisne

Six butchers have been indicted in connection with a 2025 E.coli outbreak in the Aisne department that resulted in the death of an 11-year-old girl and illness in roughly thirty others. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that the suspects, who acted as either shop managers or staff, are charged with involuntary homicide, minor injuries, endangering lives, health-related fraud, concealment, and illegal animal slaughter.

They are now under judicial control, prohibited from working as butchers or handling raw meat, and must avoid contact with other detained butchers. Judges from the public-health pole of the Paris prosecutor’s office have been overseeing the case since early August 2025. The outbreak, first recorded in June, prompted the preventive closure of six butcher shops, including several halal establishments, after authorities linked the illnesses to contaminated meat.