Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #5 *Arrest*

[Amalgam]

Another article : https://www.news.com.au/national/vi...g/news-story/3a189fbc1efdca4bcd952273ff26b0a0

 

[Estelle]

The results of the tests they performed have obvioously come back and death cap mushrooms have been found. Also, Ian Wilkinson has been able to give his input now.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Police were seen both inside and outside Patterson’s home along with five cars parked in the driveway, one of which is the 48-year-old’s.

“Two Korumburra women, aged 66 and 70, passed away in hospital on August 4. A third person, a 70-year-old Korumburra man, passed away in hospital on August 5.

“A 69-year-old Korumburra man was released from hospital on 23 September. A 49-year-old Leongatha woman was arrested at her home address shortly after 8am on November 2.

Erin Patterson arrested over deadly mushroom lunch

Three people died after eating a beef Wellington lunch.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*she got to take her purse with her?…

 

[MsMarple]

JMO I guess the dehydrator came back positive for death cap spores. But is that enough for an arrest? IOW Erin could change her story and now claim she did forage and dehydrate what she thought were edible mushrooms but lied out of fear of being blamed.

Did LE find further evidence that implicated her purposely poisoning her relatives? IMO they wouldn’t arrest her if they believed it was an accident but rather maybe bring her and her lawyer in for formal questioning. Dunno.

I’m back to wondering what one of the victims said to the EMT in the ambulance that caused them to contact police. And was Erin careless in her Internet searches? Did her kids see or hear something?

Hopefully LE will share what convinced them to arrest her. Does Australia utilize probable cause statements?

 

[katydid23]

Is it not a bit late to be searching her home? It’s been months since the poisoning so I wonder what they think they will find.

Didn't they search the kitchen earlier? I thought investigators took samples and tested her counters and sinks etc, for safety sake? Maybe I am imagining that?

 

[katydid23]

JMO I guess the dehydrator came back positive for death cap spores. But is that enough for an arrest? IOW Erin could change her story and now claim she did forage and dehydrate what she thought were edible mushrooms but lied out of fear of being blamed.

Did LE find further evidence that implicated her purposely poisoning her relatives? IMO they wouldn’t arrest her if they believed it was an accident but rather maybe bring her and her lawyer in for formal questioning. Dunno.

I’m back to wondering what one of the victims said to the EMT in the ambulance that caused them to contact police. And was Erin careless in her Internet searches? Did her kids see or hear something?

Hopefully LE will share what convinced them to arrest her. Does Australia utilize probable cause statements?

If she accidentally fed them foraged death caps, then lied about it. I think she could be arrested for a lesser charge.

Criminal negligence, or obstruction of justice for lying?

 

[MsMarple]

Didn't they search the kitchen earlier? I thought investigators took samples and tested her counters and sinks etc, for safety sake? Maybe I am imagining that?

Yes, the day after retrieving the dehydrator from the tip (August 4) they also searched her home.

 

[Amalgam]

If Erin is charged, we will get a good look at the most persuasive evidence the Police have at trial. Unless she makes a very early guilty plea.

The Police take their time in these matters and will only have moved to the arrest phase either after building an overwhelming and watertight case, or building the strongest case they expect to ever build and that case being strong enough that the director of public prosecutions believes there is enough evidence to justify a trial.

I would be very surprised if Erin isn’t charged by the end of today. The Police know she is lawyered up and likely to make a no comment record of interview and will be operating with that in mind.

 

[they'll get you]

Is it not a bit late to be searching her home? It’s been months since the poisoning so I wonder what they think they will find.

Maybe picking up the surveylance paraphernalia.

 

[Estelle]

I'm always interested in hearing about Erin's possible motivation for this crime (if she is found guilty).

IMO it could have been about child custody and the four guests had dirt on Erin that they were going to reveal in court.

Also I have often wondered whether Erin is mentally ill.

 

[ch_13]

According to the Daily Mail, they brought in special tech detector dogs. I wonder what they are searching for.

Erin Patterson arrested over fatal mushroom lunch that killed three

Police have arrested Erin Patterson, the woman who was being investigated in connection with the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the deaths of three people in Gippsland, eastern Victoria

www.dailymail.co.uk

Detectives have also brought in specially-trained 'technology detector dogs' - that can sniff out USB memory keys and sim cards - to help scour the property.

The technology detection dogs have been supplied by Australian Federal Police who say they can find memory storage devices such as USBs, hard drives, mobile phones, storage device cards and SIM cards.

The dogs are considered to be the most elite of all sniffer dogs and capable of sensing the microns-thin coating that protects computer circuit boards.

 

[Amalgam]

According to the Daily Mail, they brought in special tech detector dogs. I wonder what they are searching for.

Erin Patterson arrested over fatal mushroom lunch that killed three

Police have arrested Erin Patterson, the woman who was being investigated in connection with the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the deaths of three people in Gippsland, eastern Victoria

www.dailymail.co.uk

Detectives have also brought in specially-trained 'technology detector dogs' - that can sniff out USB memory keys and sim cards - to help scour the property.

The technology detection dogs have been supplied by Australian Federal Police who say they can find memory storage devices such as USBs, hard drives, mobile phones, storage device cards and SIM cards.

The dogs are considered to be the most elite of all sniffer dogs and capable of sensing the microns-thin coating that protects computer circuit boards.

For those interested in further information regarding these technology detection dogs, this Age article is helpful : And they would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for those meddling dogs

 

[ch_13]

JMO I guess the dehydrator came back positive for death cap spores. But is that enough for an arrest? IOW Erin could change her story and now claim she did forage and dehydrate what she thought were edible mushrooms but lied out of fear of being blamed.

Did LE find further evidence that implicated her purposely poisoning her relatives? IMO they wouldn’t arrest her if they believed it was an accident but rather maybe bring her and her lawyer in for formal questioning. Dunno.

I’m back to wondering what one of the victims said to the EMT in the ambulance that caused them to contact police. And was Erin careless in her Internet searches? Did her kids see or hear something?

Hopefully LE will share what convinced them to arrest her. Does Australia utilize probable cause statements?

IMO, EP's lawyers really did her a disservice by allowing her to put out that written statement where she claimed she only bought mushrooms at the market.

Assuming it's admitted as evidence, I think a jury is going to have trouble believing that she only lied because she was under duress, since she made the statement in consultation with her attorneys several weeks after the fateful lunch.

 

[Estelle]

*Oh my. I’m so surprised. I was not expecting this!

“A 49-year-old Leongatha woman was arrested at her home address shortly after 8am on 2 November,” police said.

“A search warrant has been executed at the Gibson Street address, with assistance from the AFP’s [Australian federal police’s] technology detector dogs.

“The woman will now be interviewed by police and the investigation remains ongoing.”

Erin Patterson charged with murder over suspected mushroom poisoning deaths

Patterson, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested on Thursday over the family lunch in the rural town of Leongatha

www.theguardian.com

I have never heard of technology detector dogs before, have you? What role do they play?

 

[JBowie]

The dogs are considered to be the most elite of all sniffer dogs and capable of sensing the microns-thin coating that protects computer circuit boards.

Likely referring to conformal coating:

Conformal coating - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Amalgam]

I

IMO, EP's lawyers really did her a disservice by allowing her to put out that written statement where she claimed she only bought mushrooms at the market.

Assuming it's admitted as evidence, I think a jury is going to have trouble believing that she only lied because she was under duress, since she made the statement in consultation with her attorneys several weeks after the fateful lunch.

I tend to agree, but it has been claimed in media coverage that Erin has engaged a top legal firm, well versed in homicide cases.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I have never heard of technology detector dogs before, have you? What role do they play?

Sniff out memory storage chips I think. I guess that there's a few raw materials that high end technology device chips are made of and the dogs will be taught to scent the components.

 

[JBowie]

My guess is that Ian Wilkinson has now been fully interviewed by police.

 

[JBowie]

I have never heard of technology detector dogs before, have you? What role do they play?

See my post #837.