A family lunch, a mushroom sauce, three deaths. This is not the beginning of an Agatha Christie thriller, but the reality, in Australia. This news item is followed by the whole country, especially since the mistress of the house, who had cooked the dish, came out of the meal unscathed. 20 minutes comes back to this funny story, which keeps the whole country in suspense.
What happened on July 29 in Australia?
Everything looked in order for a delicious meal. On July 29, Erin Patterson is busy in the kitchen. She is about to receive Don and Gail, her in-laws, as well as Ian Wilkinson, a pastor, and his wife Heather. To treat her guests, this resident of Leongatha, a small town two hours by road from Melbourne, concocted a beef Wellington. The 48-year-old mother has decided to supplement this specialty of English cuisine with mushrooms.
Fatal choice, since the variety chosen, the Amanitas phalloides, is poisonous. After the meal, the guests quickly fell ill, and three of them, the pastor’s parents-in-law and wife, died of food poisoning. Ian Wilkinson is still hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Erin Patterson, who was also hospitalized after the meal, is doing without sequelae, which attracts suspicion on her.
What are these poisonous mushrooms?
Amanita phalloides, also known as Oronge verte and Chalice de la mort, can be easily confused with edible species. Its powerful toxins seriously damage the liver and kidneys. There is currently no real antidote to phalloid poisoning.
How does Erin Patterson justify herself?
The only “survivor” without major damage from this meal, Erin Patterson drew suspicion to herself. The forties explained that she bought the mushrooms in an Asian grocery store, while having no idea of the dangerousness of the product. “I am devastated that these mushrooms could have contributed [à l’issue fatale]. I repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt the people I loved, ”hammered the Australian, in a statement to the media reported by ABC Newbefore specifying that she had found her police interrogation “terrifying”.
Her husband Simon, son of two of the victims, was not present at the meal. The two spouses have been living apart for some time. “I was close to Simon’s parents for a long time. Our friendly relationship continued after my separation from their son”, justified the mother of the family.
In a first statement, the police said that Erin Patterson’s children were present in the house but had not eaten the meal. But the mother said the kids went to see a movie before lunch, ABC News reports. The cook also revealed that she lied to investigators. In particular, she used a dehydrator on the mushrooms. Asked about it by her husband, she finally panicked and left to throw it in the dump, fearing to lose custody of her children.
Despite her elements, she has not been charged and the police have not provided any information suggesting that it is a voluntary act.