Suspected mushroom poisoning: Australian woman charged with three murders

An Australian woman suspected of poisoning her former in-laws and others with deadly mushrooms at a lunch she served has been charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

Three individuals tragically passed away after consuming a meal prepared by Erin Patterson, 49, in July. The dish served was beef Wellington, which contains mushrooms.

While three charges of murder are associated with the lunch incident, police have linked three out of five attempted murder charges to separate occurrences that took place between 2021 and 2022.

Erin Patterson maintains her innocence and asserts that she did not purposefully poison her guests during the family lunch held at her residence in Leongatha, Victoria, on July 29.

Toxicology reports indicated the victims ingested deathcap mushrooms. Simon Patterson, Erin's former husband, was meant to attend the meal but had to cancel at the last minute.

Apart from the three murder charges, Erin Patterson faces two attempted murder charges in connection to the July lunch. The specifics of the two attempted murder charges have not been disclosed by the police. However, it is known that one guest fell severely ill but survived the incident.

Additionally, Erin Patterson faces three counts of attempted murder related to separate instances where a 48-year-old man reportedly fell ill after meals between 2021 and 2022. No further details have been provided about these incidents.

After the lunch, Erin Patterson and her two children appeared unharmed, which led the police to consider her a suspect. She was taken into custody after an investigation, and the police searched her home in Leongatha.

Inspector Dean Thomas of the Homicide squad emphasized the complexity of the case during a press conference, acknowledging its potential long-lasting impact.

The guests at the ill-fated lunch included Gail and Don Patterson, Erin's former in-laws, along with Gail Patterson's sister Heather Wilkinson and brother-in-law Ian Wilkinson. All four were hospitalized on July 30, reporting severe illness. Tragically, Erin Patterson's former in-laws and Ms. Wilkinson passed away within days. However, Mr. Wilkinson, who fell critically ill, eventually recovered after an extensive two-month treatment.

Erin Patterson herself reported being hospitalized due to stomach pains after the meal. She received treatment involving a saline drip and medication to prevent liver damage.

In a statement made in August, Erin Patterson expressed devastation at the thought that the mushrooms she used might have contributed to the illness suffered by her loved ones. She reiterated that she had no intention of causing harm to the people she cared for.

Erin mentioned that her children, who did not attend the lunch, consumed some leftover beef Wellington the following day, but she had removed the mushrooms as they dislike fungi.