A 6-year-old girl from Springfield, Massachusetts, tragically passed away after contracting an E. coli infection, which her mother claims came from a contaminated cheeseburger purchased at McDonald’s. Samantha Ocasio, the girl’s mother, spoke out about the sudden loss of her daughter, Angelica Vazquez, and expressed her desire to prevent such a tragedy from happening to anyone else’s child. “It was fast. It was really, really fast,” Ocasio said, reflecting on the rapid onset of her daughter’s illness.
The incident occurred just before Halloween when Angelica ate the cheeseburger. Her symptoms began the following evening when she started vomiting. Initially, Ocasio assumed it was a mild stomach infection and gave her daughter Gatorade, advising her to rest. However, the situation escalated on November 2, when Angelica lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest after a bubble bath. Despite being rushed to Baystate Medical Center, Angelica passed away 12 hours later. Her mother recalled that her daughter’s final words were, “I love you.”
Health officials have linked the E. coli outbreak to contaminated onions served on some McDonald’s cheeseburgers. Over 100 people across 13 states have fallen ill in recent weeks, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clarified that no confirmed cases of this specific E. coli strain have been found at McDonald’s locations in Massachusetts.
Ocasio has raised concerns about whether the E. coli came from McDonald’s, saying that her daughter was otherwise healthy before the meal. She pointed out that Angelica was the only one in her family who ate the cheeseburger, while her siblings had chicken nuggets. McDonald’s responded by stating that the outbreak was linked to slivered onions used in Quarter Pounders, not the diced onions served on the cheeseburgers. Following the incident, the fast food chain halted the sale of affected burgers and identified a new supplier for slivered onions at 900 of its locations.
“We are absolutely heartbroken for this family’s loss, and we extend our deepest sympathies,” McDonald’s said in a statement. The company emphasized that public health officials have not connected any E. coli cases to its restaurants in Massachusetts or the broader Northeast region. Despite the company’s reassurances, Ocasio remains unconvinced and continues to seek answers.
