It's the kind of story a mystery novelist might conjure. But for months, a real murder case has been playing out in a small Australian town where three people died after eating a family meal that was suspected to contain poisonous death cap mushrooms.
The prime suspect in Leongatha, a country town some 84 miles southeast of Melbourne in Victoria, has long been seen as Erin Patterson, who hosted the lunch in late July whose four guests quickly fell gravely ill. The menu included a beef Wellington dish that Patterson said included mushrooms.
Police arrested Patterson on Thursday; she is now charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. The authorities did not name Patterson directly, but the details and circumstances align closely with her case, and national media quickly reported her arrest.
Patterson has maintained that she did nothing wrong, in the face of intense media scrutiny and public speculation.
"I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones," she said in August, in a statement to police obtained by Australian broadcaster ABC. "I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved."
The cook's relatives were apparently poisoned
Three people died in the days after the July 29 lunch at Patterson's home. From early on, police said the stricken people showed symptoms consistent with consumption of death cap mushrooms, which are known to grow in Victoria.
The victims in the case are:
- Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, who were Patterson's former in-laws;
- Heather Wilkinson, 66, who was Gail Patterson's sister;
- Ian Wilkinson, 69, Heather's husband who was sickened but recovered;
- A 48-year-old man who became ill after three other meals dating to 2021.
Police did not identify the 48-year-old man listed as a fifth victim, but he is widely believed to be Simon Patterson, Erin's estranged husband. He had reportedly been invited to that fateful lunch, but he canceled.
The time frame police provided for the three earlier incidents matches social media postings attributed to Simon Patterson, including one in which he described being in an induced coma for more than two weeks and having emergency surgery as he battled life-threatening stomach and intestinal issues.
