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

[Lady Bug]

So why did the mention of the dehydrator make her concerned about custody if she hadn’t used it in some nefarious way?

What was the connection between the dehydrator and a crime?

There may turn out to be no connection imo

 

[SouthAussie]

It couldn't have been before the lunch because she said she threw it out the day after it was spoken about at the hospital when the children and SP were there. I could be wrong, but I feel that was when she herself was in hospital which was the Monday/Tuesday.... as I don't feel she would have been at the hospital the guests were at.... again, I could be wrong.

If that's the case I think the tip worker was meaning he wasn't working on the Saturday when the police came?

The police questioned her on the Saturday. She lied to the police about the dehydrator. It appears the police had been to the tip prior to going to her house. They returned to her house later that evening and she chose not to answer further questions.

I think she said that she threw it out the day after the lunch (after first saying she threw it out a long time ago).

I would love to see EP be innocent. But there are lots of things pointing in the other direction and nothing substantial pointing in the direction of innocence.

The only thing that I could see as (minutely) feasible at the moment is for one punnet of mushrooms (and only one) to have been tampered with by a nefarious person. EP was the very unlucky person who bought that punnet. Her lunch guests were the very unlucky people who got sick and died (with one recovering).

 

[Oona]

I understand the dehydrator was recovered from the tip on the Friday before the police interviewed her on the Saturday.
EP saying she dumped it after the accusation from SP is only her words, not necessarily truth. It may have been dumped on the weekend of the lunch. Possibly the children being aware that she dumped it on the Saturday or Sunday is what prompted the discussion about it that SP heard.

Police request CCTV at tip in mushroom poisoning investigation

www.9news.com.au

 

[Lady Bug]

I think she said that she threw it out the day after the lunch (after first saying she threw it out a long time ago).

I would love to see EP be innocent. But there are lots of things pointing in the other direction and nothing substantial pointing in the direction of innocence.

The only thing that I could see as (minutely) feasible at the moment is for one punnet of mushrooms (and only one) to have been tampered with by a nefarious person. EP was the very unlucky person who bought that punnet. Her lunch guests were the very unlucky people who got sick and died (with one recovering).

Woman who cooked suspected poisoned meal details where she bought mushrooms

The woman who cooked a meal that is believed to have contained poisonous mushrooms and led to the deaths of three people gives a lengthy written statement to police detailing her account of what happened, and revealing she was hospitalised after the incident.

www.abc.net.au

"Ms Patterson said she was at the hospital with her children "discussing the food dehydrator" when her ex-husband, the son of the dead couple, asked: "Is that what you used to poison them?"

Did SP know his family had been poisoned the day after the lunch or not for a day or two?

I'm not trying to prove her innocence, not at all. I'm just looking at the limited facts that we have available to us and trying to make sense of them.

 

[Lady Bug]

I understand the dehydrator was recovered from the tip on the Friday before the police interviewed her on the Saturday.
EP saying she dumped it after the accusation from SP is only her words, not necessarily truth. It may have been dumped on the weekend of the lunch. Possibly the children being aware that she dumped it on the Saturday or Sunday is what prompted the discussion about it that SP heard.

Police request CCTV at tip in mushroom poisoning investigation

www.9news.com.au

Thank you for the link. So the dehydrator was recovered on the Friday. Good to have that to add to the timeline.

 

[Lady Bug]

I understand the dehydrator was recovered from the tip on the Friday before the police interviewed her on the Saturday.
EP saying she dumped it after the accusation from SP is only her words, not necessarily truth. It may have been dumped on the weekend of the lunch. Possibly the children being aware that she dumped it on the Saturday or Sunday is what prompted the discussion about it that SP heard.

Police request CCTV at tip in mushroom poisoning investigation

www.9news.com.au

Words that can easily be verified by SP or the children. There would be no point lying again about something that could simply be disputed by three witnesses imo

 

[jjleroche]

So why did the mention of the dehydrator make her concerned about custody if she hadn’t used it in some nefarious way?

What was the connection between the dehydrator and a crime?

The custody issue is speculation only, and no official statements have been made regarding this matter.
It has been frequently noted however, that SP had a very busy life, and was often away. He posted photographs of his overseas trip(s) on social media, which may support those comments. Hence, IMO he may not necessarily have been/be in a position to seek (further) custody.

IMO EP wouldn't have ditched the dehydrator had SP not asked her (allegedly) if she had used it to poison his parents. IMO SP knew how to press EP's buttons and cause her worry and distress. FWIW I don't believe that the dehydrator had anything to do with the illnesses and deaths of the victims. JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

I'm not trying to prove her innocence, not at all. I'm just looking at the limited facts that we have available to us and trying to make sense of them.

Me, too. And they don't make sense.

 

[katydid23]

At the time she threw the dehydrator out, no-one had died.

True

Police were not involved.

True

She didn't know she would be a triple murder suspect and need to provide evidence to investigators to prove her innocence.

Well, she may have known that she would probably be looked at , if she had served them toxic mushrooms.
<modsnip - quoted post, response removed for opinion stated as fact>
IMO.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

IMO EP wouldn't have ditched the dehydrator had SP not asked her (allegedly) if she had used it to poison his parents. IMO SP knew how to press EP's buttons and cause her worry and distress. FWIW I don't believe that the dehydrator had anything to do with the illnesses and deaths of the victims. JMO

The fact that she didn't ditch it til SP mentioned it tells me that it wasn't used to prepare a deadly meal.

 

[SouthAussie]

"Ms Patterson said she was at the hospital with her children "discussing the food dehydrator" when her ex-husband, the son of the dead couple, asked: "Is that what you used to poison them?"

I wonder why she was discussing the dehydrator with her children at the hospital, if she had not yet thrown it out.

 

[MsMarple]

The custody issue is speculation only, and no official statements have been made regarding this matter.
It has been frequently noted however, that SP had a very busy life, and was often away. He posted photographs of his overseas trip(s) on social media, which may support those comments. Hence, IMO he may not necessarily have been/be in a position to seek (further) custody.

IMO EP wouldn't have ditched the dehydrator had SP not asked her (allegedly) if she had used it to poison his parents. IMO SP knew how to press EP's buttons and cause her worry and distress. FWIW I don't believe that the dehydrator had anything to do with the illnesses and deaths of the victims. JMO

I was going off what EP herself gave as the reason why she dumped the dehydrator. She said she did it because she was worried she would lose custody of her children. Her statement could be considered “official” if we are to believe what she said but yes, she may have lied.

IMO she lied to LE about dumping the dehydrator because it could implicate her in the poisonings but of course you can interpret her words any way you wish.

Her quoted statement:

Ms Patterson also addressed media reports that police investigating the deaths had seized a food dehydrator at a local tip, saying it was hers.

In the statement, Ms Patterson admitted she lied to investigators when she told them she had dumped it at the tip "a long time ago".

Ms Patterson said she was at the hospital with her children "discussing the food dehydrator" when her ex-husband, the son of the dead couple, asked: "Is that what you used to poison them?"

Worried that she might lose custody of the couple's children, Ms Patterson said she then panicked and dumped the dehydrator at the tip.

Woman who cooked suspected poisoned meal details where she bought mushrooms

The woman who cooked a meal that is believed to have contained poisonous mushrooms and led to the deaths of three people gives a lengthy written statement to police detailing her account of what happened, and revealing she was hospitalised after the incident.

www.abc.net.au

 

[katydid23]

The custody issue is speculation only, and no official statements have been made regarding this matter.

They are going through a divorce and they have two minor children. So it is not just speculation that there is a pending custody matter. It is a fact that the child custody will have to be legally resolved.

It has been frequently noted however, that SP had a very busy life, and was often away. He posted photographs of his overseas trip(s) on social media, which may support those comments. Hence, IMO he may not necessarily have been/be in a position to seek (further) custody.

However, his family came to lunch, reportedly for a mediation/negotiation, concerning the separation. So even if he was not interested in more time with the kids, it seems his parents were. JMO

Also, we don't know if he wanted more time with them and she was blocking it. It's possible because mediation means that the 2 parties are not in full agreement.

IMO EP wouldn't have ditched the dehydrator had SP not asked her (allegedly) if she had used it to poison his parents. IMO SP knew how to press EP's buttons and cause her worry and distress.

He was causing HER worry and distress? His parents were on their death bed. Why is she now the victim and he is the aggressor?

If there was no reason for him to make that accusation, why did she respond so impulsively wand defensively?

Wouldn't that dehydrator prove her innocence? Why tip it if it could show no traces of toxins?

FWIW I don't believe that the dehydrator had anything to do with the illnesses and deaths of the victims. JMO

Then why was she in such a panic?

 

[katydid23]

I wonder why she was discussing the dehydrator with her children at the hospital, if she had not yet thrown it out.

I wish we knew what they were 'discussing' in terms of the dehydrator?

 

[katydid23]

I was going off what EP herself gave as the reason why she dumped the dehydrator. She said she did it because she was worried she would lose custody of her children. Her statement could be considered “official” if we are to believe what she said but yes, she may have lied.

IMO she lied to LE about dumping the dehydrator because it could implicate her in the poisonings but of course you can interpret her words any way you wish.

Her quoted statement:

Ms Patterson also addressed media reports that police investigating the deaths had seized a food dehydrator at a local tip, saying it was hers.

In the statement, Ms Patterson admitted she lied to investigators when she told them she had dumped it at the tip "a long time ago".

Ms Patterson said she was at the hospital with her children "discussing the food dehydrator" when her ex-husband, the son of the dead couple, asked: "Is that what you used to poison them?"

I've been trying to figure out how the dehydrator came up in conversation ,with the children, while their grandparents are deathly ill.

I keep thinking that the family would have been discussing the possible source of the illness with the doctors at that time. The family would be asked about what was eaten, etc.

Here is ONE possibility that comes to mind:

A poison expert is asking the family about possible food poisoning and asks about mushrooms. The kids say " Mom, weren't you drying mushrooms in the dehydrator ?"

Dad jumps in with his accusation and Mom panics and dumps it? [unless sweet already dumped it]

Worried that she might lose custody of the couple's children, Ms Patterson said she then panicked and dumped the dehydrator at the tip.

Woman who cooked suspected poisoned meal details where she bought mushrooms

The woman who cooked a meal that is believed to have contained poisonous mushrooms and led to the deaths of three people gives a lengthy written statement to police detailing her account of what happened, and revealing she was hospitalised after the incident.

www.abc.net.au

 

[katydid23]

There may turn out to be no connection imo

If there was no connection, why did she lie about it?

 

[Lady Bug]

If there was no connection, why did she lie about it?

Agree. Saying she threw it out ages ago is a red flag one which she will no doubt regret, maybe even pay for. We'll re-visit this when the test results are known I'm sure.

 

[katydid23]

Just thinking out loud here....

Could it be that she sensed she was going to be blamed for making her lunch guests ill and it was going to be used against her by SP? Did she throw all the dehydrating equipment out to thwart any accusations he might make?

But she had the leftovers, which would presumably prove her innocence. And the dehydrator would add to that exculpatory evidence . So dumping it makes no sense. JMO

 

[MsMarple]

But she had the leftovers, which would presumably prover her innocence. And the dehydrator would add to that exculpatory evidence . So dumping it makes no sense. JMO

IMO attempting to destroy evidence rarely points to innocence.

 

[katydid23]

Words that can easily be verified by SP or the children. There would be no point lying again about something that could simply be disputed by three witnesses imo

I don't think those words could be easily verified by SP or the children. Nor disputed by them.

SP didn't live there and would have no way of knowing when or if she dumped the dehydrator.

The kids probably took no notice either way. I'd imagine it was usually kept in a pantry or cabinet shelf somewhere. If she dumped it while they weren't looking they'd have no idea. JMO