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

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I want to address the timing from death cap mushrooms. It sounds like, from the LE statement ^^^, that the expired couples experienced the gastrointestinal issues in the evening-night, i.e. some hours after lunch. Unless "lunch" in Australia equates to dinner elsewhere?

Does a heavy dose of those mushrooms act super-quickly to lethal levels? If so, could the idea have been a less-than-lethal dose, as maybe some ill-conceived way to get back in the family's good graces, e.g. by taking care of sick in-laws? But the dose was miscalculated, either because victims are elderly (and might be more sensitive) or because whoever prepared the mushrooms goofed. This is back to my Munchausen theory. The choice of mushrooms in this case would not be accidental, but the dose would be.
 
This somewhat addresses my question on timing, just not my question about intent or maybe partial accident/partial deliberate:

The symptoms of death cap mushroom poisoning include low blood pressure, nausea and vomiting (which begins 8 to 12 hours after ingestion). After up to 24 hours have passed, the symptoms seem to disappear and you might feel fine for up to 72 hours. Symptoms of liver and kidney damage start 3 to 6 days after the mushrooms were eaten.

Death Cap Mushrooms

Death cap mushrooms are a high health risk in our urban environments. Eating them may lead to liver and kidney damage as well as death.
www.bccdc.ca www.bccdc.ca
 
Doesitmakesense said:
What I find most curious is only the 4 people fell ill. If accidentally using deadly mushrooms and a non deadly mushrooms, why wasn't their any cross contamination? I don't think most people would thoroughly clean a chopping board and knife when changing to a different variety of mushrooms to chop IMO. Then also how poisonous are they? How would you clean everything to ensure theirs no residual poison? Because I would be very worried if I knew that I was cooking with deadly mushrooms and making sure my kids didn't get sick. Would one run of a dishwasher eliminate any contamination? Could you use the same dishcloth again? SO
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IMO that's why the dehydrator was tossed.
 
Inthedetails said:
Understandable that kids might not like beef Wellington, but then why go to the bother of making that complicated meal plus another meal for her family. That's a lot of effort. I love cooking but I'm not making two meals, even when company comes. Given what I've read about these four guests, they would be perfectly happy with a simpler dish and perhaps would've enjoyed the same food the kids like.

It's all odd. imo.

jmo
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Erin could have just said something like, "I'm on a diet. I'll eat a salad."
 
Maybe the only intended victims were the parents in law, and some cross contamination did happen, resulting in affecting the meals of the other two adults. This may explain the statements made such as that those other two adults had "never done anything wrong" to her, and it may be true that (in the cross contamination) she "just can't fathom what has happened". This could also explain the seemingly unplanned disposal of the food dehydrator, due to concerns about compromised kitchen safety.
 
Kemug said:
In other words, maybe not very bright?
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Well, I'm interested in all of those things, especially fairy tales and poisons, and getting put to sleep by the prick of a spindle (Freudian much) for 100 years along with all manner of friends and neighbors who succumbed magically without said prick of spindle, and I'm also fanatically enthused all manner of murders and relevant toxic substances..... AND my credentials suggest I'm very bright. So, I disagree!

Unicorns (Freudian much) don't do a whole lot for me, though, so there's that...
 
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Charlot123 said:
She seems a planner to me. Such people might derive pleasure from planning and preparation itself.

"Daily Mail Australia can reveal Ms Patterson is a wealthy real estate owner, who invested wisely after inheriting money she received from the death of her parents in 2019.

Her estranged husband continues to live in a home in the town of Korumburra that is listed as being owned by his ex-wife.

'She's got like four or five properties and pays for them all with cash. She doesn't work. She just buys the houses with cash. She doesn't have a mortgage. She's cashed up. She's not stupid,' one source said.

It emerged yesterday that Simon spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing at his home in May 2022."

So the questions that other people asked, how did her parents die? What was the cause of SP's illness? - remain valid. It surely sounds suspicious. JMHO.
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It doesn't sound as if her husband came out on top with their financial settlement...
 
Monsoon said:
Maybe the only intended victims were the parents in law, and some cross contamination did happen, resulting in affecting the meals of the other two adults. This may explain the statements made such as that those other two adults had "never done anything wrong" to her, and it may be true that (in the cross contamination) she "just can't fathom what has happened". This could also explain the seemingly unplanned disposal of the food dehydrator, due to concerns about compromised kitchen safety.
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Are there any links to say how long the dehydrator had been at the dump?
 
Jess M. said:
Ah, but you're forgetting that she told the police that she purchased the mushrooms from the local store.
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How do we know this, Jess? Do you have a link please? Thank you.
 
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regarding cross contamination, using gloves, the mushrooms may have been dehydrated outside, powdered and funnelled into a jar, outside of jar wiped down and everything then put into a rubbish bag, no contamination inside the house,
also she may have made two pies, one for her and the children, plating it all up in the kitchen out of view?
 
RickshawFan said:
Well, I'm interested in all of those things, especially fairy tales and poisons, and getting put to sleep by the prick of a spindle (Freudian much) for 100 years along with all manner of friends and neighbors who succumbed magically without said prick of spindle, and I'm also fanatically enthused all manner of murders and relevant toxic substances..... AND my credentials suggest I'm very bright. So, I disagree!

Unicorns (Freudian much) don't do a whole lot for me, though, so there's that...
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I expect her to read not only fairy tales but Agatha Christie's books...
 
RickshawFan said:
Erin could have just said something like, "I'm on a diet. I'll eat a salad."
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I would look at the meals she fed her husband. Then we'll know. I suspect, some real or fake issue like gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance that would allow her to exclude any flower or dairy for herself and the kids.

BTW, her husband's symptoms must have been different. Did she feed him Coumadin that caused GI bleeding? Australia has many insects and animals, unusual to us, but maybe some types of rat or insect poisons are commonplace there and won't cause suspicion?
 
bearbear said:
regarding cross contamination, using gloves, the mushrooms may have been dehydrated outside, powdered and funnelled into a jar, outside of jar wiped down and everything then put into a rubbish bag, no contamination inside the house,
also she may have made two pies, one for her and the children, plating it all up in the kitchen out of view?
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Right bear.
Not exactly actions of innocence though IMO. (I KNOW THATS NOT WHAT YOUR SUGGESTING)

There should STILL be traces of it in her kitchen.
IF not....

Provably premeditated actions.
NO trace of it might be her undoing?
 
k-mac said:
Right bear.
Not exactly actions of innocence though IMO. (I KNOW THATS NOT WHAT YOUR SUGGESTING)

There should STILL be traces of it in her kitchen.
IF not....

Provably premeditated actions.
NO trace of it might be her undoing?
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no, i should have added, if she intended to poison, to the scenario, and yes very suspect if theres no traces in the kitchen!
 
Charlot123 said:
I would look at the meals she fed her husband. Then we'll know. I suspect, some real or fake issue like gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance that would allow her to exclude any flower or dairy for herself and the kids.

BTW, her husband's symptoms must have been different. Did she feed him Coumadin that caused GI bleeding? Australia has many insects and animals, unusual to us, but maybe some types of rat or insect poisons are commonplace there and won't cause suspicion?
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I've just been reading again about the husband's illness last year. I wonder why he suspected that she had poisoned him with a nightshade plant specifically? I've just done a bit of research and it's possible that the Silver Nightshade plant may grow in that area. Maybe she used mushrooms, but didn't give him as large as a dose as the others?

www.dailymail.co.uk

Ex-hubby reportedly claimed mushroom mum at may have poisoned him

The ex-husband of the woman at the centre of a deadly mushroom lunch that killed his parents and aunt allegedly suspected she may have poisoned him in the past, according to a newspaper report.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 

Erin Patterson, woman at centre of suspected Leongatha mushroom poisoning, gives her account of fatal meal​

Ms Patterson said the mushrooms were a mixture of button mushrooms purchased at a major supermarket chain, and dried mushrooms bought at an Asian grocery store in Melbourne months previously.

www.abc.net.au

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 www.abc.net.au

EP did dump the dehydrator and her kids were at the movies, not at the lunch.
She was poisoned and was on a saline drip in hospital and took 'liver protective' drugs.
Lots of answers in article.
 
Kemug said:
Do small towns in Australia really have CCTV at their rubbish dumps? Seems unlikely to me, but what would I know?
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I think a lot do these days.

It's become a lot more affordable and sometimes the councils pitch in, the business owner pays half the cost and the council pays half.

It seems that this dump does have CCTV, otherwise the police wouldn't have requested it.
 
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