Two weeks ago, five family members gathered for a quiet meal in a small town deep in rural Australia.
A day later, all four guests fell ill. Within a week, three would be dead, the fourth fighting for his life and the 48-year-old woman who cooked the lunch questioned by police amid claims she deliberately poisoned her relatives with wild mushrooms.
Yet Erin Patterson, who did not suffer any ill effects from the meal, insists she loves her family and had no idea the mushrooms she served were death caps – the most poisonous mushrooms in the world.
Speaking for the first time on Monday from outside the house in Leongatha, Victoria, where the fatal lunch took place, she said: ‘I didn’t do anything. I loved them and I’m devastated that they’re gone.’ Police have seized a food dehydrator from the house that’s believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms.
The deeply unusual case has gripped Australia, baffled police and left a closely-knit community desperately seeking answers.
Erin Patterson, 48, is said to have invited her former partner Simon Patterson to her home for the meal on July 29 with his parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, 68.
Simon was meant to come but could not make it ‘at the last minute’, Daily Mail Australia revealed today. Police said the couple had split ‘amicably’ – suggesting the lunch would not have been unusual.
Simon, who lived with his parents for a year after the split before moving out, previously spent 21 days in intensive care after suffering ‘serious gut problems’ in May 2022. Exactly when he split from his wife is unclear.
The Pattersons’ two children were also present at the lunch but ate different meals to the adults and did not experience any illness. They’ve reportedly been taken into care.
Erin Patterson hosted a meal two weeks ago that led to all four of her guests falling ill and three dying
Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Ms Patterson was previously married to their son, Simon
Simon Patterson was supposed to join his parents for the lunch that killed them
Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital
All four guests became ill after eating the meal. It’s not clear what dish was served but it included hand-picked mushrooms.
Police said the victims’ symptoms were consistent with those caused by death cap mushrooms – the world’s most dangerous fungi which grows in the wild in Victoria.
The four went to hospital the next day as their condition worsened, with the two sisters, aged 70 and 66, dying on Friday. Don, 70, died on Saturday night.
Ian, 68, remains in a critical condition in hospital and is believed to be waiting for a liver transplant.
Detectives say they are unsure if Ms Patterson ate the same food as her guests.
They noted she was separated from her husband – the Pattersons’ son – but said it had been an ‘amicable’ split.
‘At this point in time, the deaths are unexplained,’ said homicide squad investigator Dean Thomas. ‘It could be very innocent, but we just don’t know.’
Addressing journalists from her home on Monday, a tearful Ms Patterson said she could not ‘fathom’ what had happened.
She spoke for a couple of minutes but did not answer questions about where the mushrooms came from, who picked them or what meal she made for her guests.
‘I’m so devastated by what’s happened,’ the mother said.
‘Gail was like the mum I didn’t have because my mum passed away four years ago and Gail had never been anything but good and kind to me.
‘Ian and Heather were some of the best people I’d ever met. They never did anything wrong to me.
‘I’m so devastated about what’s happened and the loss to the community and to the families and to my own children, they’ve lost their grandmother.’
The property where the deadly lunch occurred at Leongatha, in Victoria’s Gippsland region
On Monday, Ms Patterson refused to answer questions about what she had cooked her guests
Mushrooms seen on the family home at Leongatha in Victoria’s Gippsland region
Ms Patterson was earlier questioned by police before being released pending further inquiries.
Simon’s friend claimed Ms Patterson had been keen to retain the family home, which she had been living in with the couple’s children since they split 12 months ago.
Meanwhile, it has now emerged that Ms Patterson’s former partner Simon spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing at his home in May 2022.
‘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,’ he wrote.
How to spot if you’ve been poisoned – and why death cap mushrooms are so dangerous
The symptoms of poisoning will depend on the type of poison and the amount taken in, but general things to look out for include being sick, stomach pains, confusion, drowsiness and fainting fits.
If the person who is suspected of being poisoned does not appear seriously ill, call NHS 111 of advice. If they are seriously ill, call 999 to call an ambulance or go to your nearest A&E.
Death cap mushrooms can be found in the UK and across Europe, as well as Australia
Amanita Phalloides, or the death cap, is one of the world’s most poisonous fungi. Just eating a few mouthfuls of the ‘harmless looking’ death cap mushroom can kill, according to the RSPB.
Deathcaps contain the poison amanitin, with half a cap or even less enough to kill a person.
They often grow near established oak trees, and are found when there is warm, wet weather. Native to Europe, it is common in most parts of the UK and Ireland.
The fungi stand out due to the pale green colouring of their caps, a bulbous end at the foot of the stalk and an annulus – a ring-like collar – at the top.
‘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, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I’m at a rehab place.’
Simon continued by writing that his treatment ‘seemed to have fixed the serious gut problems’.
‘I have a big scar on my tummy which is healing itself slowly, and I have an ICU acquired weakness which is a common condition of people who lie in intensive care for a long time as I did,’ he said.
‘I can walk and do all the normal daily functions myself, however my left shoulder in particular is very weak.’
The Patterson’s neighbour told Daily Mail Australia Simon had been living with his parents while recovering from that illness.
‘After his illness, there might have been a separation,’ he said. ‘We don’t know why they split up. They were a very private family.’
MailOnline does not suggest Ms Patterson was responsible for Simon’s illness or the three deaths.
On Tuesday, she fled her home after refusing to reveal what she served in her victims’ final fatal meal.
She had returned home on Wednesday, but remained holed-up inside behind the safety of a large electric gate.
Homicide detectives searched the property on Saturday as part of their investigation, seizing a number of items, including a food dehydrator believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms.
Detectives believe death cap mushrooms are the variety responsible for the poisonings and are investigating how they came to be in the meal.
The death cap mushroom causes abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea usually within six to 24 hours of ingestion.
They are known to cause serious liver damage.
Mr Wilkinson remains hospitalised, his four children have gathered by his bedside as he awaits a liver transplant.
Deadly mushrooms are common in Victoria, with the state known to have two potentially fatal species – Death Cap and Yellow-staining.
Photos show there were wild mushrooms growing on the property when it was last sold.
