Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #4

[CityKid]

Would that unknown person , upon declining an invitation, know that other family members were going there to eat lunch? Did that person want the others to possibly eat the tainted food too?

And, would that unknown would-be framer be comfortable with the deadly mushrooms in the house with children? Many people use mushroom powder for the umami richness it adds to foods, even if the food will be eaten by people who don't necessarily care for mushrooms. Could the framer feel confident that the powder would never kill the children or other guests in the house?

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

also I've mentioned this before but there is possible financial motive, if her kids inherit from their grandparents and then the kids inexplicably die - or they live but that's less money she has to spend on them if they have their own college fund etc.

There is a huge financial motive in all this and it is only for that reason I question that maybe something more complex has occurred.

Notwithstanding, EP herself would be financially hit if her husband wanted a formal divorce, no doubt he would be entitled to a generous settlement.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

This is really something to consider.

Imo none of this looks great for Erin, the POI.

IMO the kids were sent away because the sole purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of E and S relationship, marital status and living arrangements. Possibly from a religious counselling aspect and maybe involving some sort of 'intervention' type confrontation.

Nobody wants their kids sitting in for that and also one would not wish to be interrupted during adult conversation. So to me, this bit makes sense.

 

[Neet_Mc]

I still think it all could very likely be accidental deaths from mistaking the mushrooms.

If so all the rest can be explained by trying to cover it up.

Yes it does sound stupid, but these days even for an accidental death people go to jail, sometimes for a long time.
And the fines when even one person dies accidentally are huge.

Then there are civil lawsuits. A person could lose everything even if it was just a terrible mistake.

And no I don't think she killed her parents, or made her ex sick.


When there is enough evidence to make me think otherwise, then I will think otherwise.

O if

Yes. During the peak of covid I online shopped with home delivery from Woolworths. When I went online the next time to shop, it would show me if any of my "regular items" were on sale. It is very apparent that they track a registered customer's purchasing history.

Every time I use my Woolworths rewards card (to save money on some weekly items at a members price, to accumulate a balance that will give me $10 off my bill every once in a while, to later use at a relevant petrol station for a .4c per litre discount) I think they would have the ability to track my purchases, and where and when.

Maybe they can track EP's supermarket mushroom purchases, if she has and uses a rewards card (many people do). imo
.

Police would have retrieved cctv from supermarkets. Using date stamp, could then pull up transaction details and confirm purchase of mushroom.
Regardless, purchasing mushrooms is one thing. Doesn’t mean they were the mushrooms used in the dish. Anyone planning to do this would almost purchase legit mushrooms from a store as a decoy.

 

[SouthAussie]

RSBM

I have noticed that she is 49, and quite possibly suffering from hormone related mental health symptoms at this age. Some very few women suffer from severe symptoms of rage, depression & psychosis. I lost a dear friend at 50 taking her own life after some months of very dark moods and odd behavior. It not an excuse, but could be a factor.

Just to add, I have the impression that EP does not really have a support system. Both parents are deceased. One of them within the last 4 years. Marriage breakup two years later. A sister who she says she cannot visit (now), due to the heavy media presence.

In a few of the articles I have read, it says that EP was flanked by her lawyers (including the esteemed barrister Bill Doogue) as they escorted her to her car - after the recent lawyer visit in Melbourne.
EP didn't appear to have anyone else there to support her.

Woman at centre of mushroom mystery visits lawyers, one month after deadly meal

www.9news.com.au

 

[kittythehare]

IMO the kids were sent away because the sole purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of E and S relationship, marital status and living arrangements. Possibly from a religious counselling aspect and maybe involving some sort of 'intervention' type confrontation.

Nobody wants their kids sitting in for that and also one would not wish to be interrupted during adult conversation. So to me, this bit makes sense.

I'm taking the 'reconciliation talks' with a pinch of salt until or unless LE confirm.
Erin stated she did not want to reconcile with her ex having agreed reluctantly to nurse him following his illness.
Also, they had been separated for years, their final /legal separation was all that occurred in Jan 2021.

I don't believe she had any interest in a reconciliation and i do not believe that was the purpose of the lunch.

The grandparents only lived 10 minutes away, not several hours.

They probably saw them a lot.

 

[SouthAussie]

Regardless, purchasing mushrooms is one thing. Doesn’t mean they were the mushrooms used in the dish. Anyone planning to do this would almost purchase legit mushrooms from a store as a decoy.

I was thinking of it from a product tampering aspect. From a defence counsel point of view. Reasonable doubt.

If she had purchased button mushrooms from a local supermarket, could the poisonings be from a single random malicious tampering.

I know there are considerations against that, but it may be something a defence lawyer might entertain.

 

[Oona]

Absolutely. When is the time for EP, SP and the children to be together? When EP was getting hydrated (IRONIC) in hospital? SP's family members were gravely ill at that point; isn't it more likely he'd be with them? If the dehydrator was thrown out the day after the luncheon, that would have to be after she'd been treated and sent home, if the convo with SP in front of the children happened in hospital. It really is difficult to follow and yes, I very much question EP's reliability on everything she's said.

Or maybe the dehydrator was discarded sometime on the Saturday or on the Sunday before EP presented to Leongatha hospital. I believe the tip closed at 4pm. I think the dehydrator was discarded before the convo with SP….if that alleged conversation even happened.

My understanding is that EP and children presented to the local Leongatha Hospital as a precaution after learning her guests were unwell with potential food-poisoning (presumably in the evening after children allegedly ate left-overs). EP and children were all cleared and sent home. Then sometime on the Monday she presented to hospital again with gastro symptoms and was transferred to Monash for the IV fluids and the ‘liver protecting drug.’

My assumption is that the alleged dehydrator discussion with SP occurred during that first presentation to Leongatha Hospital with the children. SP may have been there already with his parents.

 

[CityKid]

Or maybe sometime on the Saturday or on the Sunday before she presented to Leongatha hospital. I believe the tip closed at 4pm. I think the dehydrator was discarded before the convo with SP….if that alleged conversation even happened.

My understanding is that EP and children presented to the local Leongatha Hospital as a precaution after learning her guests were unwell with potential food-poisoning (presumably in the evening after children allegedly ate left-overs). EP and children were all cleared and sent home. Then sometime on the Monday she presented to hospital again with gastro symptoms and was transferred to Monash for the IV fluids and the ‘liver protecting drug.’

My assumption is that the alleged dehydrator discussion with SP occurred during that first presentation to Leongatha Hospital with the children. SP may have been there already with his parents.

Your timeline makes sense to me; thanks!

 

[SouthAussie]

But since then we have read that the Pattersons and Wilkinsons (but not EP) have engaged a PR person to deal with the media, so (imo) Simon's friend may be the PR person.
(Intrawork business services director Jessica O’Donnell was named as the PR person in the 3rd link below.)

Just noting this part of my own post, about the PR person and Simon's friend maybe being one and the same.

I now think they may not be the same person, as I noticed that while the PR person is female, Simon's friend is said to be male.


A source close to Simon, who remains in hiding days after the tragedy, told Daily Mail Australia his mate had no interest in getting back together with the mother of his two children.

'They went to her house for a mediation to talk to the family. Simon was supposed to go there for lunch but he pulled out in the last minute otherwise he would be in that death bed too,' the friend said on Thursday.

Tragic twist to deadly mushroom lunch

 

[Oona]

I was thinking of it from a product tampering aspect. From a defence counsel point of view. Reasonable doubt.

If she had purchased button mushrooms from a local supermarket, could the poisonings be from a single random malicious tampering.

I know there are considerations against that, but it may be something a defence lawyer might entertain.

This scenario would be more believable if Death Caps were in season, apparently they were not.
I can see this being more possible as a defense if it were the dried mushrooms. Also maybe less cctv in the Asian Grocery Store than a large supermarket?

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Just noting this part of my own post, about the PR person and Simon's friend maybe being one and the same.

I now think they may not be the same person, as I noticed that while the PR person is female, Simon's friend is said to be male.


A source close to Simon, who remains in hiding days after the tragedy, told Daily Mail Australia his mate had no interest in getting back together with the mother of his two children.

'They went to her house for a mediation to talk to the family. Simon was supposed to go there for lunch but he pulled out in the last minute otherwise he would be in that death bed too,' the friend said on Thursday.

Tragic twist to deadly mushroom lunch

Sometimes the press change the gender of the person in order to disguise their identity.
So, we're none the wiser I guess.

If this was genuinely a mediation type thing then that would imply the family were mediating between E and S - but why? To let her know S has firmly made his mind up that he wishes to divorce? Well really why would S need to turn up mob handed to clarify that? Also why did he pull out at the last moment - seems cowardly (although was maybe a shrewd move).

Usually 'mediation' is between two conflicting parties where there's been a fundamental disagreement or conflict. I can't see how this applies to a marriage breakdown which is ultimately a legal issue. If E was refusing S a divorce, all he has to do is file the correct paperwork, even if he couldn't afford a solicitor. He wouldn't need to turn up with his whole family in tow to point out that he has a legal right to a divorce.

 

[Oona]

I’m recalling that EP first told Police/health authorities the mushrooms in the dish were from a local store/supermarket.

“According to 7News, she initially told police during her interview that she picked up the mushrooms from a local shop in the Leongatha area.”

Only later, when she made her statement, were the dried mushrooms she’d purchased months before mentioned. Personally I’d be able to recall all ingredients used in a dish if I thought it would help investigators determine the cause of illness and prevent others getting sick.

I know our understandings of the facts are based on media reports but it does feel like a lie by omission.

 

[SMK777]

My understanding is that EP and children presented to the local Leongatha Hospital as a precaution after learning her guests were unwell with potential food-poisoning (presumably in the evening after children allegedly ate left-overs). EP and children were all cleared and sent home. Then sometime on the Monday she presented to hospital again with gastro symptoms and was transferred to Monash for the IV fluids and the ‘liver protecting drug.’

SBM
Part of the suspicion was that although the others faced rapid organ failure, death, and emergency transplants, EP and her children were released, and only treated in a precautionary manner. This alone aroused suspicion on the part of law enforcement.

 

[Elley Mae]

The mother-of-two said she served the meal and allowed her guests to choose their own plates. She then took the last plate and ate a serve herself.

Deadly mushroom chef ‘very good at foraging’ for wild fungi

The cook behind the poisonous lunch that killed three of her relatives was an experienced fungi forager, a friend of the family says, as the mum-of-two hit back at being ‘painted as an evil witch’.

www.perthnow.com.au

Pick their own plates?

 

[Charlot123]

Since he supposedly had bouts of gastric issues, which he has publicly accused EP of causing, he could have warned them not to eat her Beef wellington.

These were his parents and Aunt and Uncle. I'd think he'd try everything to warn them if he knew they'd be in possible mortal danger.

And what about the children? Wouldn't he be worried about them? Even if they didnt eat the mushrooms and picked them out, like kids often do, I'm sure the gravy would still be toxic.

The reality is, he might have not put two and two together before his parents got ill.

We don’t know how the relationships were. If I had just one take, I’d say, women tend to be more jealous of their “golden boys”, but more observant, too. This phrase that “each time he was with her, he’d be sick” sounds as if it came from a jealous female friend, or from an observant mother.

If from another woman, it could have never be taken seriously until after the deaths.

If from a mother, it could be, “Simon, I don’t want you to go there again. Let us go instead. We shall be there, and so will be kids, she won’t do anything. I don’t know what happens if she sees you”.

JMO.

 

[Salah11]

How on earth do you frame EP when she was the cook and escaped Scott free?

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

The mother-of-two said she served the meal and allowed her guests to choose their own plates. She then took the last plate and ate a serve herself.

Deadly mushroom chef ‘very good at foraging’ for wild fungi

The cook behind the poisonous lunch that killed three of her relatives was an experienced fungi forager, a friend of the family says, as the mum-of-two hit back at being ‘painted as an evil witch’.

www.perthnow.com.au

Pick their own plates?

Allowing people to serve themselves is a surefire way to deflect from deliberately poisoning them - it makes the people feel as if they have agency over their choices when in fact the whole thing could have been a set up.

Sounds unlikely but is it possible the plates were dusted with mushroom finely powdered?

Or maybe this whole thing is smoke and mirrors as I have long suspected and the poison (albeit powdered mushroom) was in fact served in their coffee or some type of dessert? It's way easier to execute and also far easier to avoid having oneself. Eat a hearty meal, complete with mushrooms, including some of which your own kids eat later. Then offer up dessert or go into the kitchen to make freshly ground coffee (in Australia they have tons of different flavour beans in the superstores and health food stores, it's quite usual to make coffee at home.

If she did this, she served them up their last supper.

Maybe the 'mediation' was the kids have said they don't want to live with her and wish to live with their father. At which point she feels her life has no meaning or value. Her vision of happy families is over. She's about to lose 50% of her intergenerational inherited wealth to someone who didn't earn it and wasn't born into it and now her kids want to do the off too but ex husband will expect her to finance their lifestyles to boot. That could tip a person over the edge.

 

[Elley Mae]

How on earth do you frame EP when she was the cook and escaped Scott free?

Not exactly scot free, according to her.

..

She said she was also hospitalised after eating the meal and that her children had gone to the movies and were not at the lunch, contrary to previous reports.

Victorian woman at centre of suspected mushroom poisoning says she also went to hospital after eating meal

Erin Patterson tells police she bought the fungi from a supermarket chain and an Asian grocery store

www.theguardian.com

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

How on earth do you frame EP when she was the cook and escaped Scott free?

Only in the context that she got remarkable and accidentally lucky, or was only minimally affected, but was an intended target, these would be my theories:

- that someone childish within the household tried to prank them all, not realising the consequences;

- someone trusted who has open access to the house but has a terrible grievance tampered with E's food prep;

- someone who wasn't able to attend the meal sent a box of chocolates / dessert for them all to enjoy with the intention of wiping the whole lot of them out for reasons of their own personal gain and because they were fed up of the whole lot of them and wanted freedom from the whole situation;