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

[MsMarple]

FWIW the family members were transferred to Austin Hospital in Melbourne where they have a specialized unit to deal with toxins and acute cases.

EP was transferred to Monash Health Centre where she was treated with a saline drip and liver protection meds and released.

The implication is that doctors felt EP’s illness didn’t rise to the same level as her ex relatives. At 48 perhaps she was better able to deal with the toxins. Perhaps she ate smaller amounts.

Her kids are lucky the poisonous mushrooms didn’t contaminate the meat. I’m guessing she also scraped the pate, prosciutto and puff pastry off before serving them.

Austin Health: Home

www.austin.org.au

Services | Monash Health

monashhealth.org

Lone survivor of beef wellington lunch holds key to what happened

The lone survivor of a deadly lunch that claimed the lives of three people, including his wife, could hold the key to what really happened.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Victorian woman at centre of suspected mushroom poisoning says she also went to hospital after eating meal

Erin Patterson tells police she bought the fungi from a supermarket chain and an Asian grocery store

www.theguardian.com

 

[Salah11]

FWIW the family members were transferred to Austin Hospital in Melbourne where they have a specialized unit to deal with toxins and acute cases.

EP was transferred to Monash Health Centre where she was treated with a saline drip and liver protection meds and released.

The implication is that doctors felt EP’s illness didn’t rise to the same level as her ex relatives. At 48 perhaps she was better able to deal with the toxins. Perhaps she ate smaller amounts.

Her kids are lucky the poisonous mushrooms didn’t contaminate the meat. I’m guessing she also scraped the pate, prosciutto and puff pastry off before serving them.

Austin Health: Home

www.austin.org.au

Services | Monash Health

monashhealth.org

Lone survivor of beef wellington lunch holds key to what happened

The lone survivor of a deadly lunch that claimed the lives of three people, including his wife, could hold the key to what really happened.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Victorian woman at centre of suspected mushroom poisoning says she also went to hospital after eating meal

Erin Patterson tells police she bought the fungi from a supermarket chain and an Asian grocery store

www.theguardian.com

If she did this I highly doubt she fed it to her kids. That’s just her making up a story as if she was actually gonna give to her kids why didn’t she do it on when they got home from being out. Her story is highly suspicious and it doesn’t add up.

IMO

 

[MsMarple]

If she did this I highly doubt she fed it to her kids. That’s just her making up a story as if she was actually gonna give to her kids why didn’t she do it on when they got home from being out. Her story is highly suspicious and it doesn’t add up.

IMO

Yeah, it’s hard to sort out fact from fantasy right now. If the poison is traced back to the Beef Wellington (LE has the leftovers according to EP) then the next step is determining where the mushrooms came from.

At that point we may hear a new story IMO, one that better matches the forensics.

IMO there’s a slim chance EP did innocently pick the mushrooms but won’t admit to it just yet. And if that’s the case then the evidence will hopefully tell the true story. LE has her electronics.

And if the evidence points to premeditation then it won’t matter what story she puts out.
JMO

 

[Salah11]

Yeah, it’s hard to sort out fact from fantasy right now. If the poison is traced back to the Beef Wellington (LE has the leftovers according to EP) then the next step is determining where the mushrooms came from.

At that point we may hear a new story IMO, one that better matches the forensics.

IMO there’s a slim chance EP did innocently pick the mushrooms but won’t admit to it just yet. And if that’s the case then the evidence will hopefully tell the true story. LE has her electronics.

And if the evidence points to premeditation then it won’t matter what story she puts out.
JMO

Yes if this was completely innocent I just can not see how she and the kids avoided the same fate as her guests. imo

 

[SMK777]

Yes if this was completely innocent I just can not see how she and the kids avoided the same fate as her guests. imo

That’s why she became the suspect.

 

[Bats]

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

From this article it sounds like EP presented to hostpital on July 30th, then left the hospital, threw out the dehydrator, fed the kids the same meal that made everyone sick (busy day), then returned to Leongatha hostpital before being sent to Monash by ambulance the following day.

Just a bit suss...

 

[JLZ]

LE must have had a tip it would be there, and there would be video footage?

I forget why I was asking when the dehydrator arrived at the tip, but since then I figure: police collected it on 4 August, which is the day the the two women died, and Erin said she took it there after her husband accused her of using it to poison his family. I don't know if he would have been accusing her before they died; perhaps. Anyway, small window.

 

[Salah11]

That’s why she became the suspect.

Yes but some seem to think it’s just coincidental looking at some posts on here. IMO

 

[SMK777]

From this article it sounds like EP presented to hostpital on July 30th, then left the hospital, threw out the dehydrator, fed the kids the same meal that made everyone sick (busy day), then returned to Leongatha hostpital before being sent to Monash by ambulance the following day.

Just a bit suss...

Yes. Very suspicious.
She was covering tracks.

 

[JLZ]

I lied to police about it because I was afraid I’d lose my children.

I told LE “no comment” initially because I got bad legal advice.

Contradiction right there.

I surmise, she was given the sound advice not to comment but decided to lie instead. Then she sacked the lawyer, blaming bad advice.

 

[jepop]

I forget why I was asking when the dehydrator arrived at the tip, but since then I figure: police collected it on 4 August, which is the day the the two women died, and Erin said she took it there after her husband accused her of using it to poison his family. I don't know if he would have been accusing her before they died; perhaps. Anyway, small window.

I was trying to take a guess on that too. Relying on EP's statement for now that she was at the hospital (which one is not clear) with her two children and Simon was also there - I guessed that it was maybe mid week after that weekend so possibly Tues 1st/Wed 2nd Aug. I figure SP's parents/the in-laws would have been transfered to Melbourne toxicology speciality hospital by then. They first presented to local Hospital Sun 30th as per MSM time-line. I figure EP is claiming she went to the tip after the alleged comment from SP so maybe on Tues or Wed (1st/2nd Aug). Could be later than that. Depends when SP allegedly accused her. MSM first reports that police had found a dehydrator at the tip on Sun 6th Aug but for sure they may have collected it on 4th Aug. All just speculation really. Moo

 

[CityKid]

Question for the Australian folks on this board: I'm seeing the dish called both beef Wellington and beef Wellington pie online. I'm American and know it as beef Wellington, and it's served in thick slices cut from one piece of meat. Sky News Australia calls it beef Wellington pie. Is it served differently in Australia, more like individual potpies? I was thinking that if she made individual pies, she could crimp or decorate the crust of four poisoned pies different from the rest.

 

[RickshawFan]

Division of Property?
@Charlot123 said, in part:
"... It was her money, being inherited. However, we don't know what the divorce terms are, given that she is the rich one. Perhaps she had to pay her ex something, and didn't want to?..."
snipped for focus
From these sources, not clear to me how property was or would have been divided.

Australia's Family Law Act
"Part VIII—Property, spousal maintenance and maintenance agreements 306" *

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00101

From website of a Victoria law firm:*
"In most cases, Australian courts will consider the totality of the property available for division between the parties. How and when the property was acquired and each party's contributions to property may ultimately have a substantial impact on what each party keeps as their final property settlement outcome.
"Can I protect particular assets from a property settlement claim in the event of a separation?
"As demonstrated above, property is defined broadly for the purposes of Australian family law proceedings.
The only way parties can quarantine or protect particular assets or financial interests from a property settlement claim is to address the division of assets (and exclude the jurisdiction of court) by entering into a financial agreement at the commencement of, during or after a relationship/marriage, pursuant to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)."

"Ultimately, unless a financial agreement has been properly prepared and entered into, a former partner may be entitled to property that one party intended to quarantine from a property settlement upon separation – notwithstanding any private understandings or any other agreements that the parties may have had during their relationship."
* What is "property" in Australian family law? | Lander & Rogers

So, if the ex had a claim for properties that Erin bought because they hadn't organized a different division of assets in the case of a divorce, that might make him vulnerable to dying an untimely death?

*****
Erin introduced the idea of "losing custody of the kids". The statement doesn't make much sense in context, but supposing she had a custody issue "on the brain", which caused her to blurt out something about custody at an irrelevant moment?

IMO a family dynamic with someone wanting to get back with an ex and being interviewed and mediated, just seems VERY off. Maybe it was about custody and not about getting back with the -ex? Was Simon trying to end the shared arrangement? Were the kids?

 

[Newby171]

If her husband was so suspicious of her, why did he allow their kids to live with her? none of this makes sense

 

[SMK777]

If her husband was so suspicious of her, why did he allow their kids to live with her? none of this makes sense

And if he felt she had attempted to poison him, why would it be safe for her to cook for his parents?

 

[RickshawFan]

If she did this I highly doubt she fed it to her kids. That’s just her making up a story as if she was actually gonna give to her kids why didn’t she do it on when they got home from being out. Her story is highly suspicious and it doesn’t add up.

IMO

The invited guests were presumably already ill by the time EP was feeding leftovers to her kids. A circumspect mom would not be giving any of this meal to kids IMO (and, since she is worried about custody, she might want to appear VERY circumspect), so that sounds like it never happened. It would be unconscionable if she did, actually, since there is likely no way to prevent the toxins from leaching into meat and pastry. IMO she fed them steak, not leftovers.

 

[JLZ]

I was trying to take a guess on that too. Relying on EP's statement for now that she was at the hospital (which one is not clear) with her two children and Simon was also there - I guessed that it was maybe mid week after that weekend so possibly Tues 1st/Wed 2nd Aug. I figure SP's parents/the in-laws would have been transfered to Melbourne toxicology speciality hospital by then. They first presented to local Hospital Sun 30th as per MSM time-line. I figure EP is claiming she went to the tip after the alleged comment from SP so maybe on Tues or Wed (1st/2nd Aug). Could be later than that. Depends when SP allegedly accused her. MSM first reports that police had found a dehydrator at the tip on Sun 6th Aug but for sure they may have collected it on 4th Aug. All just speculation really. Moo

Police are forensically testing the dehydrator, which was first seized from the Koonwarra transfer station.
9News understands the dehydrator was seized by police from a bin on Friday.

Police request CCTV at tip in mushroom poisoning investigation

www.9news.com.au

The article is from Wednesday 9 August: "Friday" would be 4 August. "Understands", though, isn't altogether conclusive.

 

[Salah11]

If her husband was so suspicious of her, why did he allow their kids to live with her? none of this makes sense

I thought he started to become suspicious after his family were poisoned and he realized he had a similar experience?

 

[nightrider17]

I am wondering why the children have been put into State Care? rather than with the father - is that because of his health condition? or for another reason.

Might not mean anything or are they worried he is involved and just being cautious in case???


I realise he has the trauma of his parents passing to deal with - but is this unusual for him not to get care of his children.

Especially if the alternative is State Care since no other relatives suitable or available?? MOO

 

[JLZ]

So what would happen if no mushroom toxin is found in any of the deceased or Mr Wilkinson, or the dehydrator ?

I imagine ER would still be a suspect because she provided the meal.

That is an interesting question. I would have to start again from the beginning. I think we need a cause of death before we can make guesses about motives or draw inferences about guilty knowledge.