7 unanswered questions about killer mushroom lunch as suspect vanishes
Mystery surrounds the deaths of three people who died after eating deadly mushrooms at a family lunch - as new details emerge of the suspect's strained relationship with her estranged husband.
Erin Patterson hosted a lunch with her former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson - and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson plus her husband Ian. Gail, Don and Heather all lost their lives after falling ill after eating the beef wellington last week.
Mum Erin did not become unwell and neither did her children - who she says ate a different meal from the adults. Estranged husband Simon was meant to attend at Erin's home in Victoria, Australia, but cancelled last minute.
There are claims Erin organised the lunch in a bid to win back her husband, but a friend of Simon's says he was left extremely ill after eating one of Erin's meals just months before. Here are seven unanswered questions in the tragic case as cops continue their investigation.
Where is Erin Patterson?
The whereabouts of the mother-of-two, from Leongatha in Victoria, Australia, is currently unknown after she vanished last Thursday. Desperate to get a hold of her, a group of lawyers has been forced to camp out outside her home in order to deliver her legal instructions by hand.
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One lawyer speaking with Daily Mail Australia said it was the only means available to get in touch with the 48-year-old after her devices, including her phone and computer, were taken as evidence by Victoria's murder squad. Cops have also been seen driving by her rural property - which is surrounded by picturesque landscapes like beaches, lakes, mountains and vineyards.
Gail and Don Patterson died after the doomed lunch (Nine)The lawyers acting for Erin are said to be worried about her after the surge in media interest over her case. They refused to provide further details about the contents of the letter, but admitted that delivering a letter by hand, and camping outside their home to do so, was an unusual method of delivery.
The mother did not return home by Thursday after dark, forcing the representative to leave without delivering the correspondence. Erin has denied committing a crime, with cops adding this incident could have been an innocent mistake.
Why does the dehydrator matter?
Shortly after questioning Erin, a search of the local area offered up some potential evidence. While combing through a local rubbish dump and a junkyard in neighbouring Koonwarra, cops discovered a food dehydrator which may have been used to prepare the meal.
It's thought that she may have served them the death cap mushroom, which can kill with as little as half a cap (Nine)Food dehydrators are often used in mushroom cultivation and preparation to dry out the fungus, which makes it easier to crush into a fine powder. In its powdered form, it can be added to spice blends, meat rubs, flour and fresh pasta. Following this line of inquiry, police are now combing through CCTV of the dump.
How did her husband escape the same fate?
Erin's estranged ex-husband, Simon Patterson, was lucky to escape with his life after he dropped out of the lunch date at the former family home on July 29. Simon, who is the father of Erin's two kids, reportedly works as a secondary school basketball coach.
cHe is said to have pulled out of the doomed meal at short notice. One friend told Daily Mail Australia: "Simon was supposed to go to the lunch but couldn't make it at the last minute." Simon was said to have lived with his mother and father after splitting with Erin, but he moved out of their home towards the end of 2022.
How did Erin avoid illness?
Three people - Simon's parents Gail and Don Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson - all died after eating dinner at Erin's home. Pastor Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, survived the initial incident but is in critical condition in hospital awaiting a liver transplant. After eating the meal Erin prepared, the group became violently ill. It's been alleged that the meal contained poisonous fungi.
The family gathered at Erin's home in Victoria, Australia (Nine)According to the symptoms the victims were showing, it's thought they may have ingested the death cap mushroom. Cops are investigating whether Erin ate the same food she served to her guests. It's been confirmed that two kids at the property did not eat the meal. Victoria Police Detective Inspector for the Homicide Squad Dean Thomas says the investigation is not necessarily treating the deaths as suspicious, calling them "unexplained" instead.
Where did she find the mushrooms?
According to initial reports, a beef wellington pie was the main course of the fatal lunch - which often lists mushrooms as a key ingredient, according to the Guardian Australia.
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Erin told police that she bought the mushrooms from a store close to her home. It's believed that the mushrooms were the deadly death cap fungus, which can kill with as little as half of a cap. Experts say that just a couple of mouthfuls can kill.
Was Simon poisoned before?
Just over a year ago in May 2022, Simon was struck down with a mystery illness, which was so serious he had to be placed into an induced coma. In a social media post, he wrote: "I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation."
Last year Simon wrote on social media, saying that he was struck down with a mysterious illness (10 News First)"My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live. I was in intensive care for 21 days..." A family friend told the Herald Sun: “Simon suspected he had been poisoned by Erin. There were times he had felt… a bit off and it often coincided when he spent time with her."
Did Erin want Simon back?
One of Simon's pals has revealed how Erin was desperate to rekindle her relationship with her ex-husband, but that the lunch was his family trying to intervene to stop her advances. The family are said to have been concerned, holding an information "mediation" for the lunch, which may have been why Simon decided to pull out at the last minute. Speaking with Daily Mail Australia, the friend said: "She wanted to get back with Simon and the family didn't want Simon to get back with her.
Ian Wilkinson managed to survive the poisoning but is now in intensive care (Nine)
Gail's sister Heather was also killed (Nine)"This wasn't just a lunch, it was an intervention with the pastor as mediator. That's why this lunch happened. Simon was supposed to go there for lunch but he pulled out in the last minute otherwise he would be in that death bed too.
The people who died, Gail, Don and the Wilkinsons, were talking to them because they're heavily ingrained with the church and they wanted to make sure she was right to resume a relationship with Simon. She was basically petitioning to get back with him and the family didn't think that was a good move."
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