Dying words of ‘poison’ mushroom lunch victim ‘made paramedics call police immediately’
The final words of a guest who ate the deadly mushroom lunch that has gripped the world are thought to have caused alarm.
Erin Patterson, 48, cooked a beef wellington which left three of her in-laws dead and a fourth fighting for life at her home in Leongatha, Victoria.
But one of the Australian paramedics who responded to the emergency call after the relatives fell ill was said to be so concerned they alerted police to what they heard, news.com.au reports.
The exact words said, however, have not yet been made public.
Ms Patterson’s parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, died after eating the lunch, as did Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, days later in hospital.
Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, 68, has been left in a critical condition.
Erin had invited her former partner and the dad of their children, Simon Patterson, to the meal alongside his family as a ‘mediation’ meeting to discuss their relationship – but he pulled out at the last minute.
Mr Patterson had also recently recovered from a mystery stomach illness that left him in intensive care for 21 days.
It is thought their two children also attended the lunch but ate a different meal prepared separately by Erin, which the mum also had.
The four in-laws are said to have suffered symptoms consistent with consuming death cap mushrooms – a dull green fungus called Amanita phalloides which can cause serious organ failure within 24 to 48 hours.
Ms Patterson has not yet been charged with anything and has maintained her innocence, telling The Australian: ‘I lost my parents-in-law, my children lost their grandparents. And I’ve been painted as an evil witch.
‘And the media is making it impossible for me to live in this town. I can’t have friends over.
‘The media is at the house where my children are at. The media are at my sister’s house so I can’t go there. This is unfair.’
Ms Patterson claims she bought the toxic fungi and didn’t pick it, despite a friend of the family telling Daily Mail Australia she was ‘very good at foraging’ and at identifying different types of mushroom.
They said: ‘The Patterson family (including Erin and Simon) would pick mushrooms each year when they were in season. It’s very common for people to go mushroom picking around that area.’
In a statement given to Victoria Police and obtained by ABC, Ms Patterson confirmed her estranged husband accused her of ‘poisoning’ his parents.
She said: ‘I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones.
‘I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.’
Victoria Police has not yet provided any updates on the investigation.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.