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

[JennieM]

MUSHROOM POISONING: A TIMELINE OF EVENTS​

Saturday, July 29
Don and Gail Patterson and Heather and Ian Wilkinson (a pastor) gather at Erin Patterson's home in Leongatha, north-east of Melbourne, for lunch.

Sunday, July 30
All four lunch guests present to hospital feeling ill. It is initially thought they have gastro.

As their condition deteriorates, they are transferred to hospitals in Melbourne.

Friday, August 4
Gail and Heather die in hospital.

Saturday, August 5
Don dies in hospital. Police search Erin Patterson's home in Leongatha and seize a number of items.

Sunday, August 6
Police are seen returning to Erin's home to question her. She is heard wailing loudly from inside the house before the four officers leave.

Monday, August 7
Victoria Police Detective Inspector for the Homicide Squad, Dean Thomas, confirms Erin is being treated as a person of interest in the case.

However, he says the investigation is still in its early stages and it is yet to be determined if the deaths are suspicious.

A short time later, Erin breaks her silence and speaks to reporters outside the home. She says she is devastated and 'loves' the four relatives who came to her home. She denies any wrongdoing but does not answer questions where the mushrooms came from, who picked them or what meal she made for her guests.

Tuesday, August 8
In a bizarre twist, Simon Patterson was to revealed to have suffered from a mysterious Stomach illness in June, 2022. He fell into a coma and was in ICU for 21 days. His case is yet to be explained by doctors.

Forensic testing is underway to find any traces of death cap mushroom on a food dehydrator that was discovered at a rubbish tip. Police believe it was used during preparation of the meal.

Wednesday, August 9
Daily Mail Australia reveals that Simon Patterson was expected to attend the lunch, but pulled out at the last minute.

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

 

[Chestnutsunfish]

He left the marriage not long afterwards. In regards to the dehydrator, maybe someone saw her go to the tip?

Police likely would have interviewed children by now, and depending on ages the could have information about tip/dehydrator or events of the days leading up to/after the meal.

 

[Dre]

I do believe that the kids who are said to be high-school age will likely have some helpful information. Hope they are reunited with their father soon

 

[Kasmeer]

I’m wondering why he thought he had ingested deadly nightshade specifically, and who told the police that she had been using a dehydrator?

I feel very bad for Simon, to wonder if he’s been poisoned and to have that confirmed by this horrific event has to be the most confusing- a mix of relief that he remains alive, and terrible guilt that his family retained a connection with the plotting murderer he brought into all of their lives…

Moo

The article said "nightshades", not "deadly nightshade" which is very specific - I happened to be reading about the toxicity of potatoes just the other day (no idea how I got there down some wiki rabbithole but it's handy knowledge for this thread, it seems!): among other poisons, plants in the nightshade family, which includes potatoes, tomatoes etc, produce solanine - Solanine - Wikipedia

Solanine poisoning is primarily displayed by gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, burning of the throat, cardiac dysrhythmia, nightmares, headache, dizziness, itching, eczema, thyroid problems, and inflammation and pain in the joints. In more severe cases, hallucinations, loss of sensation, paralysis, fever, jaundice, dilated pupils, hypothermia, and death have been reported.[2][3][4]

Ingestion of solanine in moderate amounts can cause death. One study suggests that doses of 2 to 5 mg/kg of body weight can cause toxic symptoms, and doses of 3 to 6 mg/kg of body weight can be fatal.[5]

Symptoms usually occur 8 to 12 hours after ingestion, but may occur as rapidly as 10 minutes after eating high-solanine foods.

I've always been told not to eat green potatoes, and this is why - the solanine is formed by a reaction to sunlight, which also stimulates chlorophyll, making the green colour, which is at least a useful warning indicator that these potatoes may be toxic. There's more solanine in other parts of the plant, but green potatoes alone can be deadly, the Wiki article says "Between 1865 and 1983, there were around 2000 documented human cases of solanine poisoning, with most recovering fully and 30 deaths".

Would probably be relatively easy to get some solanine into a meal "accidentally" by failing to store potatoes properly and ignoring the green colour (must be a pain for colourblind people!), or if homegrown, easy enough to grab a few leaves or flowers and chop them up to look like herbs... not saying that is what happened here yet, but seems to be some definite reasons for suspicion.

 

[Friday Fan]

That's the connection people make when they express fear of eggplant. But if he thought she tried to poison him with belladonna/deadly nightshade, why not say that in so many words? I think he sounds nutty, or something else.

My great aunt accidentally ate those in Syria. They were starving refugees and didn't know better. My grandmother apparently saved her life.

 

[Jess M.]

When my brother and I were kids back in the 60's, our father would often take us mushrooming and it was a fun experience. The mushrooms would last us a few days. Back then, they were plentiful and there didn't seem to be so many of these toadstools around, that resemble mushrooms. Because of the sulphates now, they are harder to find, however mushroom foraging has become very popular recently. I wonder if this poisoning will affect that, even though I believe it was deliberate?

 

[TootsieFootsie]

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

Sources have told Daily Mail Australia that Erin Patterson, 48, invited her estranged ex-husband Simon Patterson to their former family home for lunch with his parents Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and her pastor husband Ian on Saturday, July 29 as part of a church mediation.


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 Korumburra home 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.


This is the daily mail so not sure how much of this to believe...

 

[Eaglette]

Jesus

How did both her parents die ?

 

[TootsieFootsie]

How did both her parents die ?

I was wondering that too.

 

[LacieL]

Jesus

How did both her parents die ?

That is exactly what crossed my mind when I read that her parents died in 2019 and she inherited enough money to start buying up properties with cash.

It was a daily mail article though, and it isn’t clear if both her parents passed away in 2019 or just the last one. Also all of it could be untrue, the inheritance, the property portfolio, etc.

Hopefully if someone poisoned these people intentionally the police make an arrest soon.

 

[Jess M.]

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

 

[Alice Ramnit]

BOTH her parents are dead too? YIKES!

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Turn about is fair play. Maybe someone else is after her inheritance..
Could be not family. Someone ike RB, ready to swoop in and claim everything after they set her up.

I hope the neighbours have CCTV

 

[TootsieFootsie]

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.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I wonder how much of her properties, assets etc, might be split up in the event of a divorce.

 

[Cedars]

When my brother and I were kids back in the 60's, our father would often take us mushrooming and it was a fun experience. The mushrooms would last us a few days. Back then, they were plentiful and there didn't seem to be so many of these toadstools around, that resemble mushrooms. Because of the sulphates now, they are harder to find, however mushroom foraging has become very popular recently. I wonder if this poisoning will affect that, even though I believe it was deliberate?

Death caps are an invasive species and are showing up where I live in urban environments, being introduced with imported non-native trees that people plant for decoration.

Like most invasives, they don't grow in intact native ecosystems like undisturbed woods and forests.

So I think the foragers who always go deep into the old woods and forests, who've got that deep knowledge of native species, aren't the one's picking these, it's people who pick any random mushroom they see in an urban/suburban area.

Also to add, it appears to be well past wild mushroom season in Victoria, so police probably learned a dehydrater would have had to be used, fresh Death Caps wouldn't be available.

JMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I remember one time a few years ago, after a lot of rain, mushrooms popped up out the front all along the footpath.
Some of them were fairy rings and the mushrooms looked and smelled like normal safe ones.

But the campaign about poisonous ones was in full swing and it made me doubt myself.
I've never picked a mushroom since.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

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[JLZ]

Turn about is fair play. Maybe someone else is after her inheritance..
Could be not family. Someone ike RB, ready to swoop in and claim everything after they set her up.

I hope the neighbours have CCTV

Who is RB?

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Who is RB?

Ric Blum. From the Marion Barter case. Maybe someone like him that came to know she had money.

But it's not looking good for Ms Patterson.