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

[TootsieFootsie]

Police 'no comment' on reports it was mushroom poisoning - South Gippsland Sentinel Times

Members of the media have been warned not to enter the Patterson property in Leongatha. VETERAN ‘Age’ crime reporter John Silvester reported on Wednesday this week that there has been “a breakthrough” in the case of the alleged mushroom...

www.sgst.com.au

 

[Karin1974]

My thinking is that she did pick them herself, mistaking them for ok ones, and when her guests started becoming unwell she panicked and stupidly made up a story of having bought them.

She dug a hole for herself which she couldn't get out of.

I doubt very much that she set out to kill anyone, or even just make them sick.

I'm not convinced yet that I want to join the tarring and feathering.

IMO - I’ll have to disagree with your first statement. I doubt there are too many people foraging for mushrooms who can’t identify death caps & other poisonous mushrooms, otherwise we’d have a whole lot more mushroom poisonings. That would be sheer stupidity!! MOO

 

[Karin1974]

I was right there with you up until the “tarring and feathering” comment.

IMO what some are missing is that those of us who are suspicious of EP are basing our opinions on EP’s own statements and actions. If she has chosen to lie to LE and felt it necessary to obstruct justice by attempting to destroy potential evidence then it’s her fault, not anyone else’s, if those following the case find it difficult to believe her.
MOO

IMO - I’m right with you here, IF she is innocent, why throw away the food dehydrator, an innocent person would have no need to dump this if it was accidental? MOO

 

[Karin1974]

Typical mushroom grower- always in the dark.

And fed BS!

 

[songbrd]

.

 

[bearbear]

I mean, button mushrooms which Erin said she purchased from Woollies, look nothing like death caps. So, that’s a bust. You can’t hide a death cap mushroom inside a button mushroom.

If she purchased some mysterious mushrooms from a specialty store, that’s fine, but none of it explains why EP didn’t get sick. She was the only person at the lunch who didn’t get sick. And she cooked the lunch. A jury may very well mull over this very fact one day.

It doesn’t really matter what she purchased, how did she ensure that the other four guests got deathly ill and she didn’t?

All jmo

if she only added the store bought dried dc mushroom powder to a gravy, maybe for extra flavour, and didnt use the gravy herself could explain her not getting ill?

 

[Oona]

IMO - I’m right with you here, IF she is innocent, why throw away the food dehydrator, an innocent person would have no need to dump this if it was accidental? MOO

I think she was hoping no-one would have found out about the dehydrator being dumped and instead happily believed her stories that the deadly mushrooms were store bought or bought from Asian grocery.

 

[Neet_Mc]

I think she was hoping no-one would have found out about the dehydrator being dumped and instead happily believed her stories that the deadly mushrooms were store bought or bought from Asian grocery.

Possibly, but I actually give her more credit than that. Especially if she was responsible for poisoning SP before which had gone undetected, suggesting a certain amount of thought gone into not being caught out.
A trip to the tip would involve driving past a number of cctv cameras, even in country town and especially when you are driving to more distant tip. I think if EP had given considered thought to planning this out, she would have factored that in.

 

[Oona]

Possibly, but I actually give her more credit than that. Especially if she was responsible for poisoning SP before which had gone undetected, suggesting a certain amount of thought gone into not being caught out.
A trip to the tip would involve driving past a number of cctv cameras, even in country town and especially when you are driving to more distant tip. I think if EP had given considered thought to planning this out, she would have factored that in.

You are right, it is anomalous with a meticulously planned deceit. Cctv cameras and witnesses at the tip would be foreseen by most people. She probably would have been better off dumping it elsewhere.

Though she may have dumped it on the Saturday or Sunday before the guests fell ill, or even before the lunch. At that stage she may have felt there would be no suspicions about her movements or actions as the crime was not yet committed.

Or she may have dehydrated the DC mushrooms some time ago and forgot that the dehydrator would need disposal?

Or she may have dumped it in a panic, as she’s said, though this doesn’t have any rational basis.

 

[kittythehare]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
I really don't know how the media get away with it.
There is no evidence that the food dehydrator was used for the cooking of the meal they shared.
There is no reason to use a food dehydrator on dried or button mushrooms for a beef well recipe.

There are no reports that the food dehydrator contained traces of death cap mushrooms.
But here we are..

 

[whiskia]

You are right, it is anomalous with a meticulously planned deceit. Cctv cameras and witnesses at the tip would be foreseen by most people. She probably would have been better off dumping it elsewhere.

Though she may have dumped it on the Saturday or Sunday before the guests fell ill, or even before the lunch. At that stage she may have felt there would be no suspicions about her movements or actions as the crime was not yet committed.

Or she may have dehydrated the DC mushrooms some time ago and forgot that the dehydrator would need disposal?

Or she may have dumped it in a panic, as she’s said, though this doesn’t have any rational basis.

IMO EP has been playing the long game all along. It is possible that she dehydrated DC mushrooms months ago and dumped the dehydrator that she used way back then and replaced it with an identical one to use as a red herring after the fact to confuse and confound...

 

[Lady Bug]

John Silvester's words are as follows.......

"The good news is that detailed forensic tests have come back and confirmed the cause of the three deaths is indeed mushroom poisoning."

There is no mention of Amanita phalloides Death Cap mushrooms, only that the cause of death is mushroom poisoning.

I found the following link informative.

Acute liver failure caused by mushroom poisoning: a case report and review of the literature

It is estimated that there are over 5,000 species of mushrooms worldwide. Some of them are edible and some are poisonous due to containing significant toxins. In more than 95% of mushroom toxicity cases, poisoning occurs as a result of misidentification ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

From the Introduction
".....over 5,000 species of mushrooms are present worldwide.1 In more than 90% of cases of ingestion, the type of mushroom is unknown because of difficulties in the exact identification of mushroom species."

From the Discussion
"Poisonous and nonpoisonous mushrooms can be distinguished via previous experiences and observations.5 Among mushrooms, only 20%–25% have been named and only 3% of these are poisonous."

Whilst it's informative to hear the CoD is mushroom poisoning, I'm keen for a more detailed report from an official source.

 

[SouthAussie]

John Silvester's words are as follows.......

"The good news is that detailed forensic tests have come back and confirmed the cause of the three deaths is indeed mushroom poisoning."

There is no mention of Amanita phalloides Death Cap mushrooms, only that the cause of death is mushroom poisoning.

I found the following link informative.

Acute liver failure caused by mushroom poisoning: a case report and review of the literature

It is estimated that there are over 5,000 species of mushrooms worldwide. Some of them are edible and some are poisonous due to containing significant toxins. In more than 95% of mushroom toxicity cases, poisoning occurs as a result of misidentification ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

From the Introduction
".....over 5,000 species of mushrooms are present worldwide.1 In more than 90% of cases of ingestion, the type of mushroom is unknown because of difficulties in the exact identification of mushroom species."

From the Discussion
"Poisonous and nonpoisonous mushrooms can be distinguished via previous experiences and observations.5 Among mushrooms, only 20%–25% have been named and only 3% of these are poisonous."

Whilst it's informative to hear the CoD is mushroom poisoning, I'm keen for a more detailed report from an official source.

Yes, I noticed that too. John didn't specify Death Cap poisoning, only mushroom poisoning as the cause of the deaths.

Which may or may not mean Death Cap poisoning.

He may also have very limited information, just a confirmation (or leak) that it was "mushroom poisoning". No further details.

 

[kittythehare]

Yes, I noticed that too. John didn't specify Death Cap poisoning, only mushroom poisoning as the cause of the deaths.

Which may or may not mean Death Cap poisoning.

He may also have very limited information, just a confirmation (or leak) that it was "mushroom poisoning". No further details.

Might be a tactic to put pressure on lE to make a statement of some description so they can spend days and weeks conjuring up mystical conspiracies?

It is very very unusual to receive a forensic confirmation from media before law enforcement without an actual print out of the test.

i was curious because I was interested in finding out what the levels were in an effort to identify quantity..

I found no details at all.

In the early threads here I went researching toxins that were similar to death cap and produced the same symptoms..

It's anyone's guess at this stage.
And as the chief suspect's lawyers are communicating with lE, there would be no reason to release the information to bait the chief suspect who may not be the only suspect.

We just don't know.

 

[jjleroche]

IMO - I’ll have to disagree with your first statement. I doubt there are too many people foraging for mushrooms who can’t identify death caps & other poisonous mushrooms, otherwise we’d have a whole lot more mushroom poisonings. That would be sheer stupidity!! MOO

I've read that they're easy to ID, and that they're difficult to ID.
Attached info explains how easy it can be for the toxin to be spread.

Death cap mushrooms

Information about the danger associated with consuming death cap mushrooms.

www.health.act.gov.au

My current policy is to avoid everything mushroom-related - just in case.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Next thing will be that she got the idea from an episode of Neighbours

Has Neighbours Become The New Simpsons Bc I Swear It Predicted The Mushroom Lunch Saga In 2021

We tracked down the big dog in the Neighbours writer’s room to find out how they came up with the bonkers plot.

www.pedestrian.tv

In 2021, there was a plot where death cap mushrooms were used in a lunch, accidentally poisoning a bunch of people.

 

[jjleroche]

EP. Cover Up Story?

snipped for focus @Neet_Mc Thx for your post.

I had not thought about EP's stmts from your ^ angle and agree her stmts may be brilliant. IDK.

Regardless, hoping that LE's investigation continues at full speed.

______________________________________
BTW.
My earlier post addressed a post asking why doesn't LE check w mushroom farms? <---my paraphrasing.
My post just tried to point out:
- Likely more than just a couple growers to "check" with.
- "Checks" process could possibly run into legal hurdle(s).
Sorry that my post took so soooooo long to say that.

I hope so too. I have a hunch that EP is not the only person being carefully scrutinized, but it would not be in the interests of investigators to make official statements to that effect.

MOO

 

[Baby baby Jane]

Yes, I noticed that too. John didn't specify Death Cap poisoning, only mushroom poisoning as the cause of the deaths.

Which may or may not mean Death Cap poisoning.

He may also have very limited information, just a confirmation (or leak) that it was "mushroom poisoning". No further details.

or more than one type of toxic mushroom ?

 

[Forest_Wood]

IMO - I’ll have to disagree with your first statement. I doubt there are too many people foraging for mushrooms who can’t identify death caps & other poisonous mushrooms, otherwise we’d have a whole lot more mushroom poisonings. That would be sheer stupidity!! MOO

It's been reported here many times that it's very easy to mistake DC mushrooms for common edible mushrooms. So it's not stupidity at all.

 

[Baby baby Jane]

This is not a bad theory. And I think it's more probable than the mushrooms being bought at a market.

However, I think it has two flaws:

First, I can see her panicking in the moment and lying to the cops in the immediate aftermath of the poisoning. However, months have now passed. She's had plenty of time to reconsider and to tell the truth. Instead she submitted a new statement to the police doubling down on the claim that the mushrooms were store-bought. I'm sure when she spoke to her solicitors, they would have warned her of the danger of continuing with a lie that would likely be exposed by the extensive investigation.

Second, and more detrimentally, it doesn't explain how she (and her children) didn't become seriously ill.

That's not to say the theory can't be true. The flaws are explainable. But I agree that if this theory is true, she's dug herself quite a hole with her statements and actions. Few will believe her if the cops are able to prove that she foraged the mushrooms and she later tries to change her story.

Perverting course of Justice?
Some sort of negligent homicide/manslaughter/accidental poisoning?