Australia
Three dead after eating mushrooms: woman arrested
Police officers investigate Erin Patterson’s property in Leongatha, Victoria. photo
© James Ross/AAP/dpa
The police in Australia are dealing with a mysterious case: three people died after eating mushrooms for lunch. Was it murder? The arrest of a suspect could now shed light on the matter.
Around three months after the deaths of three people from suspected mushroom poisoning at a family dinner in Australia, the hostess has been arrested. The 49-year-old was taken away from her home southeast of Melbourne by homicide detectives on Thursday, police said.
The house and property were also searched with the help of sniffer dogs. There is a suspicion that the victims were deliberately poisoned. However, the woman denies any wrongdoing.
At the end of July, she invited her ex-husband’s parents (both 70) as well as her ex-mother-in-law’s sister (66) and her husband (68) to dinner. Beef Wellington was served, beef fillet in crispy puff pastry, refined with mushrooms. Days later, the guests came to the hospital with severe abdominal cramps, three of them died: the ex-in-laws and the 66-year-old. Her husband survived.
Forensic examinations revealed that there was a poisonous mushroom in the food. This is said to have been the infamous green death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides), also known as the “death cap”. The 49-year-old said at the time that she also had symptoms. She was taken to the hospital with severe stomach pain and diarrhea, where she was given an infusion and “liver-protecting medication.”
In front of the cameras, Erin Patterson said she was devastated by the deaths of these loved ones. She later explained that she made the fillet Wellington with both fresh mushrooms from a supermarket and dried mushrooms from an Asian shop.
The arrest is “just the next step in a complex and thorough investigation” that is ongoing, the lead investigator said on Thursday. At the same time, he warned against hasty conclusions. The case made big headlines in Australia and internationally.