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

[SouthAussie]

I cannot for the life of me see any possible advantage to killing them all.
She had nothing to gain.
She is independently wealthy.

I can't really see any advantage moneywise either. Though I am not sure of the laws in Victoria about assets from her mum's will ... if Simon might have a half claim on them or not. If they are not yet divorced, or are going through a divorce now, it is possible that there has been no property settlement yet.

As far as any other motive, we just don't know enough. But there may (or may not) be another motive.

It is possible she bought a random punnet of mushrooms that had been singularly tampered with, by an employee or a malevolent customer/supplier. And her in-law family were the unfortunate recipients.

That may be hard to disprove. Unless there is a strong (and as yet unknown by us) motive, along with the fact that she didn't get critically ill casting suspicion.

The other possibility I can think of, given the circumstances that we do know, is that she could have somehow been set up. That may be hard to disprove as well. Again, other than the fact that she didn't get critically ill.

Those are a couple of things that may cause reasonable doubt of guilt. imo

 

[kittythehare]

I can't really see any advantage moneywise either. Though I am not sure of the laws in Victoria about assets from her mum's will ... if Simon might have a half claim on them or not. If they are not yet divorced, or are going through a divorce now, it is possible that there has been no property settlement yet.

As far as any other motive, we just don't know enough. But there may (or may not) be another motive.

It is possible she bought a random punnet of mushrooms that had been singularly tampered with, by an employee or a malevolent customer/supplier. And her in-law family were the unfortunate recipients.

That may be hard to disprove. Unless there is a strong (and as yet unknown by us) motive, along with the fact that she didn't get critically ill casting suspicion.

The other possibility I can think of, given the circumstances that we do know, is that she could have somehow been set up. That may be hard to disprove as well. Again, other than the fact that she didn't get critically ill.

Those are a couple of things that may cause reasonable doubt of guilt. imo

Setting her up would not be hard as she was the only consumer of mushrooms in her house.
She should have been the only person there to consume the mushrooms.
Anybody that knew that about her family and also had access to her home, friends, relations, whoever, could have done that at some time in the past.

They could not have imagined that she would cook a meal for sharing with the possibly substituted pack.

That would have made her the target.

Impossible to even take an educated guess at this one.

 

[jjenny]

If she cooked a meal and ate it unknowingly, chances are she'd either be dead or awaiting a liver transplant.
But only her guests got really sick. Like has already been pointed out, while you cook a meal, you usually sample to make sure it tastes good. She should have gotten sicker more quickly than her guests. She claimed to have symptoms, but when she showed up in the hospital she got send home. And then she returned to get her saline drip. Obviously her condition is nothing like the other four.

 

[JLZ]

Setting her up would not be hard as she was the only consumer of mushrooms in her house.
She should have been the only person there to consume the mushrooms.
Anybody that knew that about her family and also had access to her home, friends, relations, whoever, could have done that at some time in the past.

They could not have imagined that she would cook a meal for sharing with the possibly substituted pack.

That would have made her the target.

Impossible to even take an educated guess at this one.

But what about 'setting her up' in the sense of framing her as the culprit? Perhaps by someone who did benefit from those people dying.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I've read of other cases where not everyone was affected to the same extent, though all having eaten the same meal.

She didn't just return and get a saline drip out of nowhere.

She was unwell enough to be transported by ambulance and given a liver protective drug.

 

[jjenny]

I've read of other cases where not everyone was affected to the same extent, though all having eaten the same meal.

She didn't just return and get a saline drip out of nowhere.

She was unwell enough to be transported by ambulance and given a liver protective drug.

By the time she returned her guests were fighting for their lives. I don't see anything to suggest her treatments were anything other than some precaution. If she actually ate the death cap, there is no liver protective drug that one can get all this time later that would have worked. Otherwise the rest of her guests wouldn't be dead or needing a liver transplant.

 

[SouthAussie]

I think it is possible that both EP and the police are correct.

That EP had a saline drip and a liver protection drug.

And it was, as the police said, as a precaution.

 

[jjenny]

I think it is possible that both EP and the police are correct.

That EP had a saline drip and a liver protection drug.

And, as the police said, as a precaution.

And if one could get a saline drip and a liver protective drug and be cured of death cap poisoning, then her guests would have been alive and well, since they all ended up in the hospital for treatment. But she is the only one who is alive and well from the people who ate her meal.

 

[SouthAussie]

And if one could get a saline drip and a liver protective drug and be cured of death cap poisoning, then her guests would have been alive and well, since they all ended up in the hospital for treatment. But she is the only one who is alive and well from the people who ate her meal.

I don't disagree with you. I can't understand it either. People do get sick to different degrees sometimes, but if she ate that particular poison-strength beef wellington - enough to kill 3 people and make another critically ill - she 'should' have been critically ill too.

imo

I also note that she wasn't treated with all of the drugs they administer for Death Cap poisoning.
They also use activated charcoal, penicillin, and if they have enough supply they use milk thistle. Link
.

 

[bearbear]

my opinion and stating the obvious but if ep died, she has a lot of assets to inherit, her inlaws dying, probably no financial gain for her, does her ex have a lot to inherit?
i wonder if over the years shes had a hobby of foraging and studying different plants, maybe drying and powdering various toxic ones and storing them away, not ever intending to use them, just a fascination with the power the plants have, so that may have caused the dehydrater panic? and who would know that?
also i wonder if there might be years of resentment towards people maybe interferring in her life and marriage, and her feeling lonely after her mother dying? it does seem odd nobody seems to be coming forward to support her or help her fend off the press?

 

[kittythehare]

But what about 'setting her up' in the sense of framing her as the culprit? Perhaps by someone who did benefit from those people dying.

Also a strong possibility.

 

[SouthAussie]

I can't remember who posted before about this lady Rajvir Kaur who sued Woolworths in Canberra in 2014 after she said mushrooms purchased there gave her Death Cap poisoning.

I stumbled on the outcome of her lawsuit against Woolworths. She was unsuccessful. It is in the last paragraph of this link.

Death Cap Mushrooms kill three - Australian food history timeline -

2012-Two people died after eating Amanita phalloides, or Death Cap Mushrooms at a New Year’s eve dinner in Canberra. Another later died.

australianfoodtimeline.com.au

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It also says that a third guest recovered, having not eaten as much as the others.

Death Cap Mushrooms kill three - Australian food history timeline -

2012-Two people died after eating Amanita phalloides, or Death Cap Mushrooms at a New Year’s eve dinner in Canberra. Another later died.

australianfoodtimeline.com.au

"It appears Liu Jun was a fan of foraging and fresh food and used his local finds to prepare a private dinner for friends after the official New Year celebrations ended. He and one of his guests died a few days later waiting for liver transplants at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. A third guest recovered, not having eaten as much of the stir-fry that contained the poisonous fungi. Another man who died in hospital at around the same time was poisoned in a separate incident"

I wonder why no one suspected the one who recovered ?

That seems awfully suspicious. How can someone survive and not be affected as much.

These days it's totally suspicious if you're not affected as much, back then not so much.

 

[Ellery84]

I just googled religion and wearing a parent's wedding ring, and it seems it is a thing to wear it on the right hand.

Thanks, TF. Good old google for the win!

 

[JLZ]

It also says that a third guest recovered, having not eaten as much as the others.

Death Cap Mushrooms kill three - Australian food history timeline -

2012-Two people died after eating Amanita phalloides, or Death Cap Mushrooms at a New Year’s eve dinner in Canberra. Another later died.

australianfoodtimeline.com.au

"It appears Liu Jun was a fan of foraging and fresh food and used his local finds to prepare a private dinner for friends after the official New Year celebrations ended. He and one of his guests died a few days later waiting for liver transplants at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. A third guest recovered, not having eaten as much of the stir-fry that contained the poisonous fungi. Another man who died in hospital at around the same time was poisoned in a separate incident"

I wonder why no one suspected the one who recovered ?

That seems awfully suspicious. How can someone survive and not be affected as much.

These days it's totally suspicious if you're not affected as much, back then not so much.

Because there was no question of the person who recovered being also the person who foraged and cooked.

 

[Ellery84]

It is possible she bought a random punnet of mushrooms that had been singularly tampered with, by an employee or a malevolent customer/supplier. And her in-law family were the unfortunate recipients.

That may be hard to disprove. Unless there is a strong (and as yet unknown by us) motive, along with the fact that she didn't get critically ill casting suspicion.

So, Erin P. said she purchased button mushrooms from Woolworths to use in her Beef Wellington meal. Button mushrooms from Woolworths don’t look like death cap mushrooms. As in the photo attached, they are almost white and rather pleasant-looking mushrooms.

It has been reported that Erin was a forager, so presumably she would know if there was a death cap mushroom sitting in a punnet of button mushrooms from Woolworths.

I recall a song from my childhood: “One of these things is not like the other.”

All jmo

 

[JLZ]

So, Erin P. said she purchased button mushrooms from Woolworths. Button mushrooms don’t look like death cap mushrooms.

It has been reported that Erin was a forager, so presumably she would know if there was a death cap mushroom sitting in a punnet of button mushrooms from Woolworths.

I recall a song from my childhood: “One of these things is not like the other.”

View attachment 444133

We looked at a video a few days ago which showed there was a white variety of the death cap. It looked similar to a button mushroom IMO.

 

[Ellery84]

We looked at a video a few days ago which showed there was a white variety of the death cap. It looked similar to a button mushroom IMO.

Sorry JLZ, I’ve been doing a lot of non-mushroomy things this week and have missed some of the discussions.

So where does one find a while variety of death cap? Are they located in Victoria or Australia in general?

TIA

 

[katydid23]

I am leaning towards the cook being guilty.

I think she originally planned to kill her ex and his family. I know people say she had no motive--but I think that is something we might not understand, unless we had gone through a divorce.

There is an often a lot of anger, resentment and toxic energy brewing during a divorce. Especially with children involved. Maybe she wanted to be rid of her ex and his family and to start a new life with the kids, with no interference?

Then her ex cancelled and for some odd reason she went ahead with it?

That part puzzles me. But I don't see any other credible explanations for those poisonous mushrooms being in the meals that she cooked.

She fed the mushrooms to her ex-in-laws , but not to her kids or herself? I think that makes it less likely that she was 'set up' by someone. JMO

 

[MsMarple]

So, Erin P. said she purchased button mushrooms from Woolworths to use in her Beef Wellington meal. Button mushrooms from Woolworths don’t look like death cap mushrooms. As in the photo attached, they are almost white and rather pleasant-looking mushrooms.

It has been reported that Erin was a forager, so presumably she would know if there was a death cap mushroom sitting in a punnet of button mushrooms from Woolworths.

I recall a song from my childhood: “One of these things is not like the other.”

All jmo

View attachment 444133

And notice the closed veil on the packaged mushrooms as opposed to the open veil of the death cap which exposes the white gills.