Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #11 *Arrest*

[Shortfusepsb]

I've written my closing statement, if I were to close... I did briefly post it, but took it down... it was fictional, rather than theory... Damn I'm looking forward to cross and closing.

 

[Detechtive]

Do you have a link to a reputable site showing that the toxins enter the bloodstream almost immediately? I'm curious, I haven't seen anything like this and I've searched a little. We know from several sources that the symptoms of amanitas toxins poisoning begin anywhere from 6-24hours after ingestion. Is it absorbed immediately through the stomach lining and then the small intestine where its faster like how alcohol is absorbed?

Reputable sources confirm that the toxins in death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) enter the bloodstream shortly after ingestion. These toxins, particularly amatoxins like α-amanitin, are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly distributed via the bloodstream to vital organs, notably the liver. Once in the liver, they inhibit RNA polymerase II, disrupting protein synthesis and leading to cell death

You also must remember, that hours after the lunch, Erin "vomited" (allegedly). 2 or so hours later. At least. After consuming a lot of cake after cleaning up with her son. We are possibly looking at approximately 3 hours post-meal. They were in her digestive tract for at least 2-3 hours going by her own testimony.

There is absolutely no way that she would not be deathly ill if she even ingested 1/3 of one of those poisoned pasties/pies and then vomited.

Symptoms occur within 6-24 hours, but that is because the liver is already experiencing necrosis/cell death at that point.

Amanita phalloides - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

<modsnip - not an approved source>

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Nanette Rogers must be chomping at the bit. Roll on tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Did anyone notice when the crowd was filmed waiting outside the court to go in this morning, that there was a woman wearing pajama pants? Why was it that Erin's defence wanted this case to be held in Morwell so badly?

 

[katydid23]

I doubt they would have tested for that. They are usually only really testing for electrolytes and pathogens, IMO.

Especially with the ages of the first four guests. If these had been college kids with these symptoms they'd probably test for drugs to see if there was something else going on, but not with these 4. IMO

 

[Detechtive]

I've written my closing statement, if I were to close... I did briefly post it, but took it down... it was fictional, rather than theory... Damn I'm looking forward to cross and closing.

I want to see!

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Eight key moments in Erin Patterson's evidence today​

It's been a big day of evidence, as Erin Patterson has given her account of how the lunch at the centre of the trial unfolded.​

​

Here's what she said:​

​

• Erin says she now believes foraged mushrooms may have made their way into the lunch due to a mistake about the contents of a tupperware container in her pantry
• 
  
• She also admitted lying to her in-laws about needing to have cancer treatment. She said the reality was she was about to get gastric bypass surgery in an effort to deal with long-running concerns over her weight and was too embarrassed to tell them. She said she didn't want their caring attention to stop.
• 
  
• She said she'd organised the lunch in a bid to proactively bolster her relationship with the wider Patterson family, who she feared was becoming more distant during her and Simon's separation.
• She said after the lunch, she ate a large amount of cake that Gail had brought, and later threw it up.
• 
  
• She said she suffered diarrhoea in the days after the lunch, and used drugs to suppress those symptoms, although she did need to stop by a highway to relieve herself during a car trip the next day.
• 
  
• She said in the days after the lunch, questions were posed to her about the lunch's likely role in the serious illness her guests were experiencing. Erin said her estranged husband Simon confronted her in hospital and asked her if she'd used her food dehydrator to poison his parents. She said all of this made her very anxious.
• 
  
• She said during a health department investigation into the lunch, she held back on sharing some thoughts with an official because she was "scared".
• 
  
• Erin also said she carried out three factory resets on one of her mobile phones after the lunch. She said the first was because she "panicked" about photos it contained of foraged mushrooms.
• 
  
• Another was a remote factory reset while the phone was in a police locker, which she said she did to "see what happened". She added it was a "stupid" thing to do.

​

​

We'll be back tomorrow morning, when Erin Patterson is expected to return to give evidence for a fourth day in her multi-week trial.
( Great!! )

​

 

[Ellery84]

Afterwards, she took the dehydrator to the tip because she feared where the conversation with government workers might go when it came to the meal and the dehydrator. “I was scared that they would blame me for it, for making everyone sick,” she said. “And I was scared they’d remove the children.”

Patterson said she did not tell anyone that she had realised death cap mushrooms may have been served at the meal.

“I thought there might be evidence of that [in the dehydrator]. Evidence of any foraged mushrooms in there,” she said.

Erin Patterson murder trial day 26 as it happened: Mushroom cook says fear of estranged husband’s actions led to phone resets; details dumping food dehydrator at local tip after fatal lunch

Erin Patterson has told a court her estranged husband asked her if she had used a dehydrator to poison his parents, and admitted resetting her phone out of fear police would discover photos she had of foraged mushrooms.

www.theage.com.au

There was evidence in the dehydrator Erin, you numb-scull.

 

[Detechtive]

Nanette Rogers must be chomping at the bit. Roll on tomorrow afternoon.

I can't wait to see her brilliance.

 

[mamamama9873]

Has anyone else noticed that she claims to have made "6 pies" on the day of the lunch. However, allegedly, 7 were consumed (Erin, Gail, Don, Ian, Heather, Child 1, Child 2).
1.5 were found in the bin. (Simon's and half of Erin's she allegedly didn't consume).

That equals 8.

But her purchase receipts only show she purchased 5 eye fillets.

Where did the other 3 come from?
It is my theory that the three for her, and her children, were in the freezer, IMO

Do we know for certain how many fillets were purchased?
If so that certainly is very odd.

I have a feeling she will try and wriggle herself out of that one too, either she cut them up into smaller servings because they were so big or that there were in fact more than 6.

I also think she will state (contrary to her police statement!!) that she didn’t feed the kids actual leftover of the beef wellington but just made them the leftover fillet (which would be consistent with the son’s statement).

 

[katydid23]

How much do we know around the detail and timing of professional persons becoming suspicious that this was possibly more than a genuine accidental deathcap mushroom case?

Asking here in case anyone more familiar with the details has a quick answer. In the meantime, I will look back myself.

Don Patterson had arrived at the emergency department of the Dandenong Hospital at 6.39pm on Sunday evening, July 30, after being transferred from Korumburra with reports that he had experienced 30 to 40 episodes of vomiting and diarrhoea.

Young doctor Beth Morgan, who had only graduated from Monash University in 2019, was on duty in Dandenong from 9.30pm that night and took over Mr Patterson’s care.

Aware that the meal of beef Wellington and mushrooms was the likely cause of the illness and with very, very high lactate levels and other indications of reduced liver function, Dr Morgan called the toxicology registrar on call, Dr Mark Douglas.

He in turn contacted senior toxicologist Dr Yit Leang but his advice was that there wasn’t enough evidence that death cap mushrooms were the problem.

“It wasn't clearly like a cause and effect of having had a specific mushroom called amanita phalloides, the death cap, so at that point the specific antidote to that wasn't indicated at that stage.”

The process to start administering the specific antidote to amanita phalloides toxin, Silibinin, wasn’t started until 6.30am the next day, Monday, July 31 after a call from Dr Morgan to say that Don Patterson’s condition had worsened.

Triple murder trial: Chasing the poisonous mushrooms - South Gippsland Sentinel Times

BACK on Day 2 of the Erin Patterson murder trial, defence counsel for Mrs Patterson, Colin Mandy SC, acknowledged for the first time that his client had foraged for mushrooms. No details of when that might have occurred have yet been provided to the...

www.sgst.com.au

Don arrived at the Austin Hospital on Monday, July 31, 2023 at 2.30pm by ambulance from Dandenong. He had displayed acute onset vomiting with hematemesis, that is vomit with blood, and profuse bloody diarrhoea from the previous Saturday evening, before being diagnosed with acute liver failure after transfer from Korumburra Hospital to Dandenong.

By the time he arrived at the Austin, Professor Warrillow said Mr Patterson was critically ill and in multiple organ failure, with extremely high measurements of substances in the blood consistent with massive liver injury, grossly abnormal blood clotting and a range of other abnormalities.

He was in an induced coma with a life support ventilation tube down into his windpipe while receiving medication to assist his comfort.

The next to arrive at the Austin was Gail Patterson. She arrived at 8pm, also on July 31.

“She was also critically ill and in multiple organ failure,” according to Dr Warrillow.

She was intubated and receiving a number of treatments similar to those being received by her husband Don.

The sad truth about a tragedy that rocked a community - South Gippsland Sentinel Times

MEDICAL details surrounding the deaths of three Korumburra family members, and the miraculous survival of a fourth, were publicly released for the first time last Friday, May 23. Under normal circumstances, the general community would never hear...

www.sgst.com.au

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Mr Mandy indicates the defence doesn't have "long to go" with their examination of Erin Patterson.

He says they will likely finish their questioning of Erin tomorrow morning.

That's where the court is adjourned and today's hearing comes to an end.

 

[katydid23]

Do we know for certain how many fillets were purchased?
If so that certainly is very odd.

I have a feeling she will try and wriggle herself out of that one too, either she cut them up into smaller servings because they were so big or that there were in fact more than 6.

I also think she will state (contrary to her police statement!!) that she didn’t feed the kids actual leftover of the beef wellington but just made them the leftover fillet (which would be consistent with the son’s statement).

Maybe, but she really really wants people to believe that she fed her children leftovers from the same meal. It's important to her because she wants everyone to believe that she had no idea that there was anything wrong with the elegant lunch she served. I mean, she served it to her own children, so obviously it wasn't intentionally poisoned.

 

[katydid23]

Mr Mandy indicates the defence doesn't have "long to go" with their examination of Erin Patterson.

He says they will likely finish their questioning of Erin tomorrow morning.

That's where the court is adjourned and today's hearing comes to an end.

Prosecution will be gearing up tonight. They have a lot to work with.

 

[Detechtive]

Do we know for certain how many fillets were purchased?
If so that certainly is very odd.

I have a feeling she will try and wriggle herself out of that one too, either she cut them up into smaller servings because they were so big or that there were in fact more than 6.

I also think she will state (contrary to her police statement!!) that she didn’t feed the kids actual leftover of the beef wellington but just made them the leftover fillet (which would be consistent with the son’s statement).

Yes we do.

July 23:
Mushrooms Sliced - 500g
Mushrooms Sliced - 500g
Woolworths Puff Pastry sheets - 1kg
Art of Pastry frozen Filo pastry
Onion Shallots

July 27
Pampas Pastry Puff - 10pk
Art of Pastry frozen filo pastry
4 x beef eye fillets
Mushrooms sliced - 375gm
Mushrooms sliced - 475 gm

July 28
Pampas pastry Puff
Art of pastry frozen filo pastry
Mashing Potatoes - 1.5kg
Bean round cut cleaned
1 x beef eye fillet

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/the-mushroom-cook/erin-patterson-trial-live-mushroom-cook-to-detail-her-account-of-the-lethal-lunch/live-coverage/08486560497a92e222bae6e486abb8d7#/entry/32038623

 

[katydid23]

If you are severely dehydrated, and I have been, you aren't worried about how your children are getting home from school or to ballet nor care of your pets. Simon could have handled all of that if asked I'm sure.

The doctor initially told her that Simon was ready to pick up the kids for her so she could stay and get treatment, but she declined. She was dead set on getting to the tip. imo

 

[Kemug]

Erin says the different meat meant the quantities of mushrooms and pastry needed to be different.

"Because if you make a log and cut off slices to serve, you end up with something that looks like a steak but it's got the mushroom and pastry around the circumference," she says.

"But if you make it as individual steaks like pasties, you've got the mushroom and pastry on the topside and bottom-side rather than the circumference.

"You'd use a lot more [mushroom and pastry]. I used a lot more."

Thanks Erin, I just love getting cooking tips from you. Cooking with Erin, great show!

 

[katydid23]

She has said in today's testimony that she threw some dehydrated mushrooms in after putting water on them, because the duxelle tasted bland.

True, but they were still going into the oven for 20 minutes, pasted on top of the meat, underneath the pastry. So the death caps were going to infiltrate the entire meal during that cooking time. They were in the duxelles ---which was in a butter and cream and garlic sauce. So the death caps were simmering inside the pastry dish.

 

[L_B]

I also think she will state (contrary to her police statement!!) that she didn’t feed the kids actual leftover of the beef wellington but just made them the leftover fillet (which would be consistent with the son’s statement).

But then just shows more of her lying behaviour cos she told the hospital and the child services lady she scraped the mushrooms....

I will add I believe the kids ate a separate bit of steak; or at least a non poisoned BW steak...

 

[MrJ]

I really want the prosecution to refer to the picture that Tom May identified as death caps but Erin said were Woolworths or button mushrooms