Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #5 *Arrest*

[Forest_Wood]

No but I believe she will be. That’s my prerogative when I look at the facts she has lied multiple times and LE have also said they don’t believe her.

Am I going to believe the woman who chucked away evidence and her own ex husband accused her of the crime or LE who have no axe to grind?!




Also another golden quote from LE

The contradictions in the mushroom poisoning case

Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather and her pastor husband Ian fell sick after eating beef Wellington pie at Erin Patterson's Leongatha home, in Victoria's Gippsland, on July 29.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Which facts are you looking at?

We know of one reported alleged lie about the disposal of the dehydrator for reasons unknown. She acknowledged it and corrected it in a statement.

What are the other lies you're referring to that are based on facts/evidence rather than your opinion?

And we all know that husbands everywhere, from the beginning of time, are always 100% trustworthy in their accusations against their wives, especially those who are in the middle of a separation and possible divorce.

MOO

 

[Karin1974]

It's been reported here many times that it's very easy to mistake DC mushrooms for common edible mushrooms. So it's not stupidity at all.

IMO - For me, it’s the same as playing Russian Roulette, there’s a big chance you could lethally harm yourself & to me, that absolutely is stupidity. I did a google search & found only 4 x people have died of death cap mushroom poisoning in Australia since 2002 - It appears either there’s not many of them or they are far more easily identifieable than has been reported or surely poisonings would be an ongoing problem?

 

[katydid23]

Which facts are you looking at?

We know of one reported alleged lie about the disposal of the dehydrator for reasons unknown. She acknowledged it and corrected it in a statement.

Just because you correct it, by admitting you lied, that does not mean you are totally absolved. It means you were caught and had to admit you lied.

I have to ask myself why she impulsively tipped the dehydrator and why the lie afterwards.

The most obvious answer, IMO, is that she felt she had something to hide and tried to do so. What would she have to hide about the dehydrator? She said she panicked because her ex accused her of poisoning his family.

Tipping the dehydrator was a pretty defensive action in response. Her acknowledging her lie does not negate the fact that she felt the need to do so.

What are the other lies you're referring to that are based on facts/evidence rather than your opinion?

There are other probable lies, based upon lack of evidence to support her claims.

One lie may turn out to be her claim that she bought poisonous mushrooms in an Asian market [but didn't remember where or when. ]

There is no evidence that anyone else got sick or died from mushrooms sold in any markets. Asian or otherwise, in the country.

And we all know that husbands everywhere, from the beginning of time, are always 100% trustworthy in their accusations against their wives, especially those who are in the middle of a separation and possible divorce.

MOO

Neither she, her children or her Labrador were poisoned by that meal. Only her in-laws were impacted by the toxins.

So his claim that she may have poisoned his family does not seem impossible or improbable.

We do know that he did suffer some serious health problems which kept him in intensive care for many weeks.

He was reportedly eating and drinking things prepared by his ex-wife at the time. I doubt he poisoned himself.

And I don't see any evidence that he poisoned his parents and Aunt and Uncle that day. Her ex was not there and had not been there for quite awhile apparently as they were separated.

EP had more to lose in their divorce finalisation and custody battle than he did. She had all the property and had child custody. The fact that the luncheon was called a mediation tells me that he was wanting a change in that situation.

He probably wanted a settlement that he thought was more equitable. JMO

 

[Ellery84]

Yesterday the Herald Sun put out a new article.

It basically goes over all of the things that the police have to do - with regard to speaking with witnesses like Leongatha Cinema staff, Koonwarra tip staff, EP, SP, the children, Asian grocers, hospital staff, ambulance officers.

Also all the forensics that have to be done - including dehydrator, food scraps, CCTV, credit card usage, internet history and phone data.

The article states that those inquiries and the forensic testing are expected to run into 2024, and preparation of a brief of evidence will extend the time further.

It goes on to say that then the police will give the brief of evidence to the DPP for a lengthy evaluation to see if charges are to be laid.
Though there is no indication of why they say that. If it is surmised by the authors of the article (a police reporter and a community reporter) or if it has been leaked that it is truly expected by the authorities.

It does say that police have said very little about the investigation to the media. So maybe just surmised.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/why-the-long-wait-for-answers-in-mushroom-death-probe/news-story/50e593e4a23fec798a1ad22b822632a4?amp&nk=f8042146b0c15a57e6a12eeadc3ba7b0-1695941877

This piece was written by journalists Mark and Brooke…

Mark Buttler is an award-winning crime journalist for the Herald Sun and Brooke Grebert-Craig is a reporter for Leader Community News. She covers stories in the south east including courts, crime, developments and local initiatives.

They don’t mention whom their sources are, and nor are they obliged to. I trust that their reporting is as accurate as possible.

In my humble opinion, if the person of interest in this case was a danger to the larger community, she would be incarcerated or at least on bail; but clearly there is not enough evidence to warrant her arrest, at this time.

 

[LadyL]

New DM article says that IW has had security cameras installed outside his home, since he came home from the hospital.

Mushroom lunch survivor's security upgrade after miraculous recovery - following 'major development' in the Leongatha case


And did we know this?

"The dehydrator is currently undergoing forensic testing abroad."

Item at centre of mushroom deaths as forensic testing reveals major breakthrough

good
I hope he also has someone staying with him

 

[jjleroche]

I mean, button mushrooms which Erin said she purchased from Woollies, look nothing like death caps. So, that’s a bust. You can’t hide a death cap mushroom inside a button mushroom.

If she purchased some mysterious mushrooms from a specialty store, that’s fine, but none of it explains why EP didn’t get sick. She was the only person at the lunch who didn’t get sick. And she cooked the lunch. A jury may very well mull over this very fact one day.

It doesn’t really matter what she purchased, how did she ensure that the other four guests got deathly ill and she didn’t?

All jmo

Maybe she didn't do it, and maybe she lied in order to protect others - <modsnip - insinuations against people not named POI by LE>MOO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Maybe the security cameras are more to protect Mr Wilkinson from being hounded by the press.

I doubt that they would think twice about badgering an elderly man who nearly died and likely has a long road ahead of him.

 

[jjleroche]

Yes. Historically mushroom poisonings all appear to come from mushrooms foraged by people mistakenly picking death caps, not from supermarkets or small grocery stores. Not from farmers markets. Not even from unidentified Asian markets.

EP has never claimed to have foraged any mushrooms used in cooking that lunch. The local department of health and/or the department of food safety did not report other mushroom poisonings nor did they release any safety bulletins to the public or issue any recalls of mushrooms in any stores.

Austin hospital determined the relatives fell ill from consuming death cap mushrooms. I believe the doctors.

Everything points to the luncheon. JMO

I yesterday posted a link to the Australian Capital Territory's Dept of Health website.

The post and link appear to have disappeared, so I am posting the link again, as it contains some very interesting information regarding death caps (including there having been multiple incidents and fatalities associated with death cap mushrooms in the ACT, and that it can be extremely difficult to distinguish death cap mushrooms from edible mushrooms, even for experienced collectors.)

Death cap mushrooms

Information about the danger associated with consuming death cap mushrooms.

www.health.act.gov.au

For overseas Websleuthers, Australia's national capital, Canberra, is located in the ACT, and is relatively close to Victoria, by Australian standards. Link to map below.

https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/australia-administrative-map.htm

 

[Ellery84]

<modsnip - quoted post was snipped of insinuations against a person not named POI by LE>

But it still doesn’t explains how or why she was the only adult at the lunch who didn’t get “mushroom poisoning”.

If someone set her up, or maybe switched out her Asian dried mushrooms with Death Caps in her pantry, she still would have been poisoned if they all ate the same lunch.

IMO

 

[Ellery84]

Maybe the security cameras are more to protect Mr Wilkinson from being hounded by the press.

I doubt that they would think twice about badgering an elderly man who nearly died and likely has a long road ahead of him.

It makes me so sad that the paps are already outside his house to even observe the cctv being installed.

Jmo

 

[SouthAussie]

I yesterday posted a link to the Australian Capital Territory's Dept of Health website.

The post and link appear to have disappeared, so I am posting the link again, as it contains some very interesting information regarding death caps (including there having been multiple incidents and fatalities associated with death cap mushrooms in the ACT, and that it can be extremely difficult to distinguish death cap mushrooms from edible mushrooms, even for experienced collectors.)

Death cap mushrooms

Information about the danger associated with consuming death cap mushrooms.

www.health.act.gov.au

For overseas Websleuthers, Australia's national capital, Canberra, is located in the ACT, and is relatively close to Victoria, by Australian standards. Link to map below.

https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/australia-administrative-map.htm

But those multiple fatalities (4 of them) have not involved mushrooms from supermarkets or Asian grocery shops or farmers markets, which is what the post was about.

The ACT has had four deaths from DC poisoning in the last 21 years (since 2002). All from foraged mushrooms. Link

 

[SouthAussie]

Maybe the security cameras are more to protect Mr Wilkinson from being hounded by the press.

I doubt that they would think twice about badgering an elderly man who nearly died and likely has a long road ahead of him.

Probably security all the way round. From the press, from intruders. And it may be something Mr Wilkinson's parishioners and family wanted for him, if he is living on his own now or is in a fragile condition.

Having a brush with death can make a person feel quite vulnerable. imo

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I am still thinking it's possible that the mushrooms were foraged.

Yes I know she said they were bought, but I'm not convinced.

 

[Forest_Wood]

An Australian mushroom grower has rubbished suggestions mushroom cook Erin Patterson could have purchased death cap mushrooms from a retailer - insisting supermarket mushrooms are grown in controlled conditions.

It was never EP who said she purchased death cap mushrooms though. It was the media reporting DC and that took flight. I believe Erin said she used dried mushrooms stored in her pantry that she believed were purchased from an Asian store months prior. So the article is likely correct, and EP could also be correct in her recollection. I don't know about you but I'd have a difficult time recalling exactly where I purchased any of the products in my pantry from six months ago (spices, cans, rice, herbs, etc). I imagine she provided LE with a list of stores she frequents. IMO.

 

[SouthAussie]

I am still thinking it's possible that the mushrooms were foraged.

Yes I know she said they were bought, but I'm not convinced.

I think they were likely foraged also. The big question is .... intentional or unintentional poisoning.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I hope I never have to account for all things in my pantry, months later.

Especially if it's from a shop in another area, that I may have wandered into,whose name might be written in another language and was near a group of similar stores.

 

[Ellery84]

dbm

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think they were likely foraged also. The big question is .... intentional or unintentional poisoning.

That is the question.
That's only one of the questions in my mind concerning them being foraged.

I don't think anyone set out to kill or harm anyone.

If I get evidence that will convince me to change my mind, then I will change my mind.

 

[Ellery84]

That is the question.
That's only one of the questions in my mind concerning them being foraged.

Why would one forage for death caps? If they didn’t intend to hurt anyone?

You can’t eat them. Why collect them? Why would anyone do that?

 

[Forest_Wood]

Just because you correct it, by admitting you lied, that does not mean you are totally absolved. It means you were caught and had to admit you lied.

I have to ask myself why she impulsively tipped the dehydrator and why the lie afterwards.

The most obvious answer, IMO, is that she felt she had something to hide and tried to do so. What would she have to hide about the dehydrator? She said she panicked because her ex accused her of poisoning his family.

Tipping the dehydrator was a pretty defensive action in response. Her acknowledging her lie does not negate the fact that she felt the need to do so.


There are other probable lies, based upon lack of evidence to support her claims.

One lie may turn out to be her claim that she bought poisonous mushrooms in an Asian market [but didn't remember where or when. ]

There is no evidence that anyone else got sick or died from mushrooms sold in any markets. Asian or otherwise, in the country.


Neither she, her children or her Labrador were poisoned by that meal. Only her in-laws were impacted by the toxins.

So his claim that she may have poisoned his family does not seem impossible or improbable.

We do know that he did suffer some serious health problems which kept him in intensive care for many weeks.

He was reportedly eating and drinking things prepared by his ex-wife at the time. I doubt he poisoned himself.

And I don't see any evidence that he poisoned his parents and Aunt and Uncle that day. Her ex was not there and had not been there for quite awhile apparently as they were separated.

EP had more to lose in their divorce finalisation and custody battle than he did. She had all the property and had child custody. The fact that the luncheon was called a mediation tells me that he was wanting a change in that situation.

He probably wanted a settlement that he thought was more equitable. JMO

Of course acknowledging a lie does not negate it. I don't know the stats on how many people lie when confronted with a traumatic event vs those who lie that never admit it, even during a trial and when confronted with evidence of that lie.

I was responding to the OP who stated there were facts about many lies made by EP and I am only aware of one in evidence.

I was also pointing out the absurdity of believing a spouse's word as truth solely based on one statement he allegedly made to her to accuse her. Also the OP stated he was poisoned, when that is not a fact.

<modsnip - moderating>

MOO.