Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #6 *Arrest*

[Salah11]

When you are charged with killing multiple people hiding Flash cards appears a lot more sinister than regular Joe public simply doing it.

Mooo

 

[ch_13]

I'm just really curious what the authorities thought could possibly be on those electronic devices that warranted bringing out special detector dogs. I would have thought this case would turn on other evidence, such as testimony to the state of EP's relationship with her ex and his family or proving how the victims ingested the mushrooms.

I suppose the most obvious answer is a potentially incriminating Google search. But aside from that I'm at a loss for what sort of data might be relevant to this case.

edit - Another possibility might be GPS and location data if the device was carried while foraging.

 

[Ellery84]

When you are charged with killing multiple people hiding Flash cards appears a lot more sinister than regular Joe public simply doing it.

Mooo

Look, I agree.

IMHO: It started to get serious when a number of people died after the lunch.

That’s more the issue, I would say, as opposed to whether nanna Jo likes to hide USBs in her underwear drawer or not.

It’s not a crime to be a scatterbrain or just a bit disorganised.

Moo

 

[Ellery84]

I'm just really curious what the authorities thought could possibly be on those electronic devices that warranted bringing out special detector dogs. I would have thought this case would turn on other evidence, such as testimony to the state of EP's relationship with her ex and his family or proving how the victims ingested the mushrooms.

I suppose the most obvious answer is a potentially incriminating Google search. But aside from that I'm at a loss for what sort of data might be relevant to this case.

edit - Another possibility might be GPS and location data if the device was carried while foraging.

I think Vic police have done an exceptional job at continuing to prepare a standout brief. I feel like these days in law enforcement in Australia, we are seeing such thorough evidence-gathering in these types of complex cases because the Crown want to make sure they present the best and tightest possible case they can. No one wants to work themselves into the ground to potentially solve a crime, and then see their case fall apart in court.
IMO

Even if the digital evidence is just supporting evidence to demonstrate specific conversations between relatives, that’s helpful to the case, I would assume.

But what if the digital evidence is more than that? There may be more to Ms Patterson’s ‘life online’ than we know.

All MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not convinced Ms Patterson was a mushroom forager.

Maybe it’s been a while since I’ve read about that point?

According to a friend of the family, she was an experienced forager and the family regularly picked mushrooms together.

Here's a link to one article, but it was widely reported in several publications.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/mushroom-poison-victims-final-words-to-paramedic/news-story/13ea59d2bcb3947bb5e9d2503819e8ba

 

[Ellery84]

According to a friend of the family, she was an experienced forager and the family regularly picked mushrooms together.

Here's a link to one article, but it was widely reported in several publications.

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/mushroom-poison-victims-final-words-to-paramedic/news-story/13ea59d2bcb3947bb5e9d2503819e8ba

Thanks! Whilst you were writing your post, I edited my post.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

To me: buying a huge bag of semolina or rice and keeping ipads there is "hiding".

Unless your ipad gets wet, then putting it in rice is said to be a way to get it or a phone working again.
The rice absorbs the moisture.

 

[Salah11]

Look, I agree.

IMHO: It started to get serious when a number of people died after the lunch.

That’s more the issue, I would say, as opposed to whether nanna Jo likes to hide USBs in her underwear drawer or not.

It’s not a crime to be a scatterbrain or just a bit disorganised.

Moo

The fact it took dogs to find these hidden electronics points to it not simply being scattered brained imo

Highly Trained dogs had to find these items of interest.

Lets see at trial what was found on them

 

[Ellery84]

OK, "hiding" is questionable.

To me: buying a huge bag of semolina or rice and keeping ipads there is "hiding".

Hang on! Don’t tell me Ms. Patterson’s iPads were found in semolina or rice?

Are you for real?

Buying a faux leather storage ottoman and keeping the ipads there is "storing"; same if you keep them stacked in a closet with clothes.

For LE, possibly, both would be hiding because they have to look for them.

For the tabloids, everything would be "hiding".

 

[Ellery84]

The fact it took dogs to find these hidden electronics points to it not simply being scattered brained imo

Highly Trained dogs had to find these items of interest.

Lets see at trial what was found on them

We shall see, @Salah11 !

 

[ifindedout]

Unless your ipad gets wet, then putting it in rice is said to be a way to get it or a phone working again.
The rice absorbs the moisture.

Interestingly, I found this story on one of my local Philly stations, originally reported by the AP, which appears in the link below. Coincidence? Or did the reporter (or his editors) get wind of the latest Leongatha developments, and decide that desiccating dunked smartphones with rice was worthy of investigating, and perhaps debunking? (story only covers phones, but IMO the same concerns would apply to the iPad as well)

One Tech Tip: Don't use rice for your device. Here's how to dry out your smartphone

However your smartphone got wet, you now need to dry it. Apple recently put out an advisory that included a warning against using rice.

apnews.com

So what about using rice to dry your device? You may have heard that putting a phone in a bowl of rice will help draw out moisture. It’s been a tip that’s been out there for years.

Apple, however, says that’s a no-no. The company warned against it in an advisory published in early January. It drew little attention at the time, but then people noticed the line that said: “Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.”

 

[ch_13]

First people were claiming EP's electronics were buried outside, now supposedly they were found in a bag of rice?

Where is this stuff coming from? I haven't seen it in any mainstream source.

I think we're just getting punchy because there's been no fresh news in a long time and there's some kind of game of telephone where speculation gets turned into fact.

 

[MsMarple]

First people were claiming EP's electronics were found buried outside, not supposedly they were found in a bag of rice?

Where is this stuff coming from? I haven't seen it in any mainstream source.

I think we're just getting punchy because there's been no fresh news in a long time and there's some kind of game of telephone where speculation gets turned into fact.

You forgot the semolina.

I agree, the lack of information and news is driving imagination into all kinds of places. I haven’t seen anything in msm about evidence found buried outside or in bags of rice or semolina.

IMO it’s human nature to try to make sense out of an unimaginable crime. But we could probably use a clearer line between speculation and msm reports.

“Technology detector dog Georgia found one USB, a micro secure digital card and a sim card,” he told the hearing. “Technology detector dog Alma found a mobile phone, five iPads, a trail camera and secure digital card and a smartwatch.”

Kershaw said the items were not found during the officers’ initial searches.

Alleged mushroom poisoning: five iPads and other devices sniffed out by police dogs at Erin Patterson’s Leongatha home

Australian federal police tell Senate estimates that the electronics were not found during initial searches

www.theguardian.com

 

[Salah11]

You forgot the semolina.

I agree, the lack of information and news is driving imagination into all kinds of places. I haven’t seen anything in msm about evidence found buried outside or in bags of rice or semolina.

IMO it’s human nature to try to make sense out of an unimaginable crime. But we could probably use a clearer line between speculation and msm reports.

“Technology detector dog Georgia found one USB, a micro secure digital card and a sim card,” he told the hearing. “Technology detector dog Alma found a mobile phone, five iPads, a trail camera and secure digital card and a smartwatch.”

Kershaw said the items were not found during the officers’ initial searches.

Alleged mushroom poisoning: five iPads and other devices sniffed out by police dogs at Erin Patterson’s Leongatha home

Australian federal police tell Senate estimates that the electronics were not found during initial searches

www.theguardian.com

So very well hidden in the first place and doesn’t appear to be a simple lapse or they wouldn’t have been hidden so well.

EP clearly suffered with amnesia when they did the search or she would have pointed out where she had placed these items as im sure there is a simpl explanation. Just like how she cooked a meal and 3 people ended up dead from her toxic lunch time dinner. It’s all one conspiracy to frame her!

MOO

 

[Trebor5591]

What I can't understand is, why didn't EP eat any of the "beef wellington lunch" she served her guests? Pretty convenient....

 

[Ellery84]

What I can't understand is, why didn't EP eat any of the "beef wellington lunch" she served her guests? Pretty convenient....

How do you know she didn’t eat the lunch?

 

[MsMarple]

What I can't understand is, why didn't EP eat any of the "beef wellington lunch" she served her guests? Pretty convenient....

She did say that she ate the Wellington. She also said she went to hospital complaining of vomiting and diarrhea so she was given preventative medicine in case she had consumed poisonous mushrooms.

And miraculously she fed both her kids leftovers the next evening. They didn’t get sick because EP said they don’t like mushrooms so she scraped them off their portions. She didn’t say if she also ate leftovers.

A mushroom expert said it was unlikely as even juices tainted by the death caps would have poisoned them.

Here’s more information on the statement EP released regarding the lunch:

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

Five key pieces of evidence in mushroom lunch probe

Erin Patterson cooked a beef Wellington pie laced with deadly death cap mushrooms for a family lunch at her Leongatha home, in the state's southeast, on July 29.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Salah11]

How do you know she didn’t eat the lunch?

Well EP claims she did but then she has claimed a lot of stuff unfortunately.

Like how she claims she give it to her kids as left overs and yet they like her miraculously survived without any ill effects.

Moo-moooooooooooooo

 

[Ellery84]

She did say that she ate the Wellington. She also said she went to hospital complaining of vomiting and diarrhea so she was given preventative medicine in case she had consumed poisonous mushrooms.

And miraculously she fed both her kids leftovers the next evening. They didn’t get sick because EP said they don’t like mushrooms so she scraped them off their portions. She didn’t say if she also ate leftovers.

A mushroom expert said it was unlikely as even juices tainted by the death caps would have poisoned them.

Here’s more information on the statement EP released regarding the lunch:

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

Five key pieces of evidence in mushroom lunch probe

Erin Patterson cooked a beef Wellington pie laced with deadly death cap mushrooms for a family lunch at her Leongatha home, in the state's southeast, on July 29.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Well EP claims she did but then she has claimed a lot of stuff unfortunately.

Like how she claims she give it to her kids as left overs and yet they like her miraculously survived without any ill effects.

Moo-moooooooooooooo

I worry about these children, to be honest.

If any of the police allegations are true, I just hope they have been ok throughout everything.

Even just in terms of the trauma and grief or losing one’s grandparents in such tragic circumstances: I really feel for them. They’ve also lost one of their caregivers who, innocent or guilty, is in a correctional facility.

It’s all just terribly sad, and for all the loss in that town - perhaps Ms Patterson’s children have lost the most.

Moo

 

[ifindedout]

What I can't understand is, why didn't EP eat any of the "beef wellington lunch" she served her guests? Pretty convenient....

Maybe she (or claimed at the time of the meal that she):

• doesn't eat beef
• is a vegetarian or vegan
• was not hungry
• had an upset stomach
• doesn't normally eat (normally skips) lunch
• simply told her guests "You needn't wait for me to be seated, just dig in"

MOO