Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #2

[Amalgam]

Only when mental health is a concern IMO.

Waiting for a leak about her mental health record.
After seeing the scribbles in her house.

Its gunna be long I suspect.


moo

I agree.

Whilst a mental health record or contents thereof are not yet forthcoming, concern regarding EP’s mental health have been published.

“The friend claimed that Simon’s family was worried about Ms Patterson’s “mental state” so they accepted the lunch invitation to “make sure she was in the right mental health.” is a small excerpt from https://www.news.com.au/national/vi...ws-story/187b41b60ac7b3d7b062d1163d4aaeca?amp

 

[Estelle]

I agree.

Whilst a mental health record or contents thereof are not yet forthcoming, concern regarding EP’s mental health have been published.

“The friend claimed that Simon’s family was worried about Ms Patterson’s “mental state” so they accepted the lunch invitation to “make sure she was in the right mental health.” is a small excerpt from https://www.news.com.au/national/vi...ws-story/187b41b60ac7b3d7b062d1163d4aaeca?amp

That makes sense.

 

[Amalgam]

I'd be washing it in disinfectant, boiling it, etc - heck no, I think I'd just chuck it out!

For somebody who is allegedly quite knowledgeable regarding poisonous mushrooms, she could well have been aware that a simple wash in the dishwasher or warm soapy water of the dehydrator racks is enough to render them perfectly safe enough for use.

Unless she cleaned the thing meticulously, there is still a fair chance of forensics finding some of the microscopic spores from death cap mushrooms on/in it.

 

[silvercrown]

Regarding the ‘death wall’. It’s hard to believe EP wouldn’t have at least offered some explanation to the tradie about the wall. ‘Oh don’t mind this, my kids are obsessed with whatever movie, or book, or going through a phase etc’ I find it odd that it would go unmentioned.

Just quietly, I’ve made a few assumptions about this family that I won’t comment on unless reported in the media.

 

[k-mac]

For somebody who is allegedly quite knowledgeable regarding poisonous mushrooms, she could well have been aware that a simple wash in the dishwasher or warm soapy water of the dehydrator racks is enough to render them perfectly safe enough for use.

Unless she cleaned the thing meticulously, there is still a fair chance of forensics finding some of the microscopic spores from death cap mushrooms on/in it.

I think she used it awhile ago and only thought about it after the deaths when Simon asked her specifics.
Thus panicked from guilty knowledge and disposed of it.

 

[Amalgam]

I think she used it awhile ago and only thought about it after the deaths when Simon asked her specifics.
Thus panicked from guilty knowledge and disposed of it.

Agreed. I was just speaking to the safety or otherwise of keeping a dehydrator used to preserve death cap mushrooms & the potential for spores to remain even if it’s clean and safe enough for use.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

y experiences of church types, which is via parents (Dad a deacon, Mum a priest) is that they absolutely would pull together a meeting like this because plenty of them, especially priests, think sticking their noses fair into other people's business is perfectly appropriate, and they think they are somehow qualified to know what is best in all kinds of personal situations of which they may have no experience whatsoever.

I totally agree, from experience.

 

[JLZ]

I could've sworn I read an article the other day that the in-laws were worried about her mental state and that was why the mediation was taking place. It's possible she was worried about losing the kids....JMO.

This is entirely my speculation, but I think EP was trying to influence his parents and they were worried, on the basis of past experience, that she would go beserk when they didn't submit. Pastor and wife were there to set expectations for respectful communication, offer some emotional care and judge whether medical intervention was warranted . . . for example if there were hints of suicide.

 

[JBowie]

I think she used it awhile ago and only thought about it after the deaths when Simon asked her specifics.
Thus panicked from guilty knowledge and disposed of it.

It's fortunate for police that she disposed of the appliance at a transfer station, not a landfill tip where stuff is buried daily and bulldozed over.

Transfer stations tend to separate objects into piles for recycling where feasible. Some even have sections where you can buy stuff like dumped bicycles and furniture.

 

[Ellery84]

It's fortunate for police that she disposed of the appliance at a transfer station, not a landfill tip where stuff is buried daily and bulldozed over.

Transfer stations tend to separate objects into piles for recycling where feasible. Some even have sections where you can buy stuff like dumped bicycles and furniture.

Very fortunate indeed, JBowie!

 

[kittythehare]

Dailymail is putting this notice on all their articles about her

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms Patterson was responsible for Simon's illness or the three deaths.

Her estranged husband continues to live in a Korumburra home listed as being owned by his ex-wife.

'She's got like four or five properties and pays for them all with cash. She doesn't work. She just buys the houses with cash. She doesn't have a mortgage. She's cashed up. She's not stupid,' one source said.

Simon's friend maintained his mate had not suspected his ex-wife had poisoned him after he fell ill from a mystery stomach complaint after the couple split.

Tragic twist to deadly mushroom lunch

A poisonous lunch held by the estranged wife of a popular church member had been held in an effort to try and negotiate a reconciliation with him.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[TootsieFootsie]

If she wasn't "mental" before, what has happened could turn anyone "mental" IMO

If it was me, even if I was fine before, I'd probably feel on the verge of collapsing, whether I was innocent or guilty.

Though she keeps mentioning friends, I get the feeling that she's quite alone

 

[JLZ]

I’m coming from ignorance here but is such a mediation to determine worthiness in a couple’s marriage a common ritual in the Baptist church?

No. I had a few years with a Baptist church in Victoria as a teenager while my parents were divorcing. I would say they used the deserted spouse's misery to recruit that parent. There was no stigma. There was a lot of support for the deserted spouse and one brief attempt to talk to my other parent.

 

[k-mac]

This is entirely my speculation, but I think EP was trying to influence his parents and they were worried, on the basis of past experience, that she would go beserk when they didn't submit. Pastor and wife were there to set expectations for respectful communication, offer some emotional care and judge whether medical intervention was warranted . . . for example if there were hints of suicide.

Reminds me of Charles Vallow trying to get support for Lori Vallow.
Mental health is tricky. Extremely tricky.

 

[JBowie]

If she wasn't "mental" before, what has happened could turn anyone "mental" IMO

If it was me, even if I was fine before, I'd probably feel on the verge of collapsing, whether I was innocent or guilty.

Though she keeps mentioning friends, I get the feeling that she's quite alone

I can't share the empathy. By her own admission, she lied to police. Had she been upfront with them, and actively assisted them, then maybe she would not have found herself being the suspect in this case.

Oh what a tangled web we weave ...

 

[bearbear]

if her intent was to poison she may have been planning it for awhile, picking the dc mushrooms when in season then drying and grinding them to a powder, storing in the cupboard waiting for the right time,
so when poison mushrooms were mentioned she quickly disposed of the dehydrater realising it was potential evidence,
she may forage and dehydrate edible mushrooms and other plants regularly,
she apparantly loved cooking so may have a cupboard full of dried home ground condiments to add to soups etc
i think if this was deliberate poisoning it could be the perfect crime, it has to be proven she had intent and she can easily say she didnt know, play dumb, that when she picked the edible mushrooms the death cap may have ended up in the mix, lots of excuses, and she is the only living witness at the meal that day, apart from the very ill survivor

 

[LadyL]

In my experience as an Australian, "bringing a plate" is not something which is done for a private meal, but in an official or semi-official setting, eg a meal within a church group, or a club of some sort. Although for a private meal someone may possibly offer to bring dessert, or something to accompany coffee after the meal. But to invite people to a private meal, and then tell them what to bring would be bad manners. As I should think it might be in any country.

not in our family where there are close 30 +/- immediate family members (3 generations) at any get-together
we do pot luck every time and it's tradition (and would be bad manners to not ask what to bring) - host organizes with everyone

 

[LadyL]

'Impossible': Leading industry body disputes mushroom lunch cook's claim

Claims made by the woman at the centre of Victoria’s triple-fatality mushroom poisoning have been disputed by a national peak industry body.

www.skynews.com.au

But her statements have now been countered by leading authority The Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA) who say “it is impossible” for death cap and other poisonous mushroom varieties to be produced for commercial purposes as they “only grow in the wild”.

The organisation said it was a mandate for grocery retailers to cultivate commercial mushrooms in an “environmentally controlled” indoor environment, to fulfill food safety and hygiene protocols.

So the only way one could possibly acquire death cap mushrooms in AUSTRALIA.....is by one's own hand.

but someone could still pick them, dehydrate them, package them and sell them and she did say the dried mushrooms she bought were in a package with a handwritten label

 

[Eaglette]

3 things:

I want to know what the dying patient said to the paramedic.

I want to know what the survivor has said about the meal.

I want to know what the dehydrator tests reveal (if anything)

 

[Angelcat13]

I think it's a phrase that's died out. It was commonly used at one time.

I think in Australia the phrase wasn't really related to food.

It was more where you didn't get to pick anything but was left with not much choice.

Like the family took pot luck on getting a parking spot near the beach.

Or Helen took pot luck that her hairdresser could fit her in.

I know it was used here in the "olden days.


There were TV game shows in Australia called Pot Luck, one in the 70s and one in the 80s

Pot Of Gold/Pot Luck – Nostalgia Central

1 9 7 5 - 1 9 7 8 (Australia) 1 9 8 7 (Australia) This Australian show was the Grundy organisation's first attempt at a New Faces-style talent show. Tommy Hanlon Jr hosted the Network 10 show, with Bernard King as the resident judge. In 1975, Hanlon stormed off the set mid-show after berating

nostalgiacentral.com

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pot-luck

From what I've found the food one is often spelt as potluck and the australian version is "bringing a plate"


If you take pot luck, you decide to do something even though you do not know what you will get as a result.

If you haven't made an appointment, take pot luck and knock on the door.

Love the historical info! Thanks!!