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

[TootsieFootsie]

Deadly mushroom meal revealed: The poisonous pie that killed three people

Erin Patterson cooked the poisonous meal for the family of her ex-husband.

www.newshub.co.nz

 

[Jess M.]

Yes she has said that her Mother died four years ago, to explain her closeness with her mother in law.

But as far as I know, she hasn't mentioned that her father also died the same year.

 

[Jess M.]

Deadly mushroom meal revealed: The poisonous pie that killed three people

Erin Patterson cooked the poisonous meal for the family of her ex-husband.

www.newshub.co.nz

Beef Wellington has mushrooms in it. The question remains, why didn't her or her kids eat any?

 

[LacieL]

Yes she has said that her Mother died four years ago, to explain her closeness with her mother in law.

But as far as I know, she hasn't mentioned that her father also died the same year.

I’ve spent a few minutes today trying to find her maiden name for reference to her parents without any luck.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Beef Wellington has mushrooms in it. The question remains, why didn't her or her kids eat any?

I was thinking maybe the cost of it, there wasn't enough to go round.

Some people who are well off, can be very frugal. Sometimes I think that's how they got to be wealthy

So far it hasn't been said what she ate, if anything.

Maybe she didn't eat meat or was on some special diet.
Some articles said that the kids ate a different meal, but I don't recall reading that she ate something different.

 

[JLZ]

Beef Wellington has mushrooms in it. The question remains, why didn't her or her kids eat any?

They might have been individual parcels, tailored for each diner.

 

[Waverider]

After reading the latest from the Daily Mail, I'm wondering if it was in fact revenge on her part, rather than a financial motive? Apparently she hosted the lunch, as she wanted to reunite with her ex and she was hoping his parents would support it. It's said that they weren't in favour of it...

Tragic twist to deadly mushroom lunch

A poisonous lunch held by the estranged wife of a popular church member had been held in an effort to try and negotiate a reconciliation with him.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Agreed - it sure sounds like revenge..

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I'm sorry I think I made a mistake.

Some articles said they are separated but I've just seen some that say they are divorced.

 

[Waverider]

Some others here are speaking of the dehydrator found at the tip as evidence for Erin's guilt. I'd like to emphasise that that particular hydrator, as far as I know, hasn't yet been shown to have come from Erin's household, or ever to have contained any particular substance.

The police picked it up from the tip on the day the first two people died. Why would police randomly go to the tip and pick up a dehydrator as one of the first points of call if they hadn’t received a tip-off? I would think they’d have had evidence linking her to the dehydrator, but I could be wrong.

 

[Jess M.]

I'm sorry I think I made a mistake.

Some articles said they are separated but I've just seen some that say they are divorced.

Oh really? I thought they were separated.

 

[JLZ]

The police picked it up from the tip on the day the first two people died. Why would police randomly go to the tip and pick up a dehydrator as one of the first points of call if they hadn’t received a tip-off? I would think they’d have had evidence linking her to the dehydrator, but I could be wrong.

I mostly agree. They had a reason to look for it. The thing with poison though is that it's difficult to prove exclusive opportunity. If the poison got into the food by the malice of somebody else, that person could have planted the dehydrator and made the tip-off. Or else not planted it but taken advantage of its disposal, and, again, made the tip-off. But with the most recent articles about the beef wellington and the attempt to reconcile--and how loathsome to draw the parents into the argument--I am swinging the other way.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think that all four of the family were probably able to speak to medical staff before they became too unwell and may have mentioned the food dehydrator.

Being helpful church women, I think quite likely the ladies may helped Erin in the kitchen and saw the dehydrator.

Maybe the police were expecting to find a dehydrator there at the home. But it was gone.

 

[JLZ]

I think that all four of the family were probably able to speak to medical staff before they became too unwell and may have mentioned the food dehydrator.

Being helpful church women, I think quite likely the ladies may helped Erin in the kitchen and saw the dehydrator.

Maybe the police were expecting to find a dehydrator there at the home. But it was gone.

I think it was all prepared like the day before, wrapped and ready to go into the oven when the guests arrived. JMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think it was all prepared like the day before, wrapped and ready to go into the oven when the guests arrived. JMO

The meal might have been a bought one that came like that, wrapped and ready.
And later when the meal wasn't turning out as hoped for, when someone didn't arrive, a little something may have been added.

 

[Jess M.]

I mostly agree. They had a reason to look for it. The thing with poison though is that it's difficult to prove exclusive opportunity. If the poison got into the food by the malice of somebody else, that person could have planted the dehydrator and made the tip-off. Or else not planted it but taken advantage of its disposal, and, again, made the tip-off. But with the most recent articles about the beef wellington and the attempt to reconcile--and how loathsome to draw the parents into the argument--I am swinging the other way.

Occam's razor.

 

[Jess M.]

I think it was all prepared like the day before, wrapped and ready to go into the oven when the guests arrived. JMO

Beef Wellington takes a long time to prepare, yes.

 

[Jess M.]

The meal might have been a bought one that came like that, wrapped and ready.
And later when the meal wasn't turning out as hoped for, when someone didn't arrive, a little something may have been added.

https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/135485/woolworths-beef-wellington-rump-mushroom-duxelle

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I hope she gets herself a good lawyer. A good lawyer would have most likely told her to say nothing.


It may well turn out that she really "didn't do anything" ?

But I'm wavering on that.

I just hope she doesn't "go and jump off a bridge". The words she said the media was making her feel like doing

 

[TootsieFootsie]

If the meal was a bought one, could it have been tampered with in the store

There have been cases over the years. But there has been no recall, as far as I know.

 

[nightrider17]

Do you think there may have been both store bought regular mushrooms and additional dried poisonous field mushrooms (which had been picked at a earlier time and dehydrated).


So it then it appears that only store bought mushrooms where used, but now the retrieval from the dump of the dehydrator may well prove otherwise along with the toxicology of the dead individuals. MOO