Mushroom mystery: family lunch leaves Australian town reeling after three deaths in suspected poisoning
In the quiet town of Leongatha in eastern Victoria, a group of family and friends sat down to a Saturday lunch at one of their homes.
Within hours of the meal four of the guests began feeling very unwell and eventually sought treatment at local hospitals.
Nearly two weeks later, three of them are dead from suspected mushroom poisoning, one is fighting for his life, and the woman who cooked the meal is a suspect.
Kris Ward, who runs the veterinary clinic not far from the church, says those who died were really good friends and would meet up every Thursday for lunch and a walk.
“You couldn’t ask for more pleasant people,” says Ward. “They would often go walking along the rail trail. They’ll be terribly missed.”
Erin Patterson, 45, hosted the lunch at her home in Leongatha on 29 July for her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband, Ian.
Don, Gail and Heather are now dead. Police say their symptoms were consistent with having eaten death cap mushrooms.
The mushrooms, which grow across this part of Victoria, are easily mistaken for edible fungi.
Apparently the hostess/cook survived. Hmmmmm!