Australian police on Thursday arrested the woman who was in the deadly Wellington lunch that was laced with poisonous mushrooms, resulting in the deaths of three people and leaving a priest in critical condition.
Erin Patterson, 49, was arrested Thursday morning and police began searching her home with dogs that could smell electronic devices such as USB drives.
She will be interviewed once the search is complete, said Inspector Dean Thomas of Victoria Police’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Today’s arrest is just one step in this complex and in-depth investigation carried out by Criminal Investigation Department inspectors and which is ongoing,” Mr Thomas told the press without answering questions.
The investigation had attracted “incredible” media and public interest in Australia and abroad, he added.
“I think it’s particularly important to remember that at the heart of this case, three people lost their lives,” Mr. Thomas said.
The arrest is the latest twist in a saga that has gripped the country and put the small rural town of Leongatha, 110km southwest of Melbourne, in the spotlight.
Ms. Patterson, who has not been charged, has always maintained her innocence.
On July 29, she prepared her recipe for Beef Wellington, a specialty of English cuisine, for her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson. She was married to her son Simon, but the couple had been separated for some time.
A Baptist minister, Ian Wilkinson, and his wife Heather completed the guest list.
“Cruel rumors”
The fact that her four guests fell ill quickly, unlike her, who remained in good health, fueled the rumors and labeled them suspects.
The pastor’s in-laws and wife died a few days later from symptoms of food poisoning. Only 69-year-old Pastor Wilkinson survived the almost two-month hospital stay.
Released from the hospital on September 23, he made his first public appearance in early October, at a memorial service for his wife, and a newspaper said he appeared “fragile” and walked with the aid of a “walker.”
Her symptoms were consistent with those caused by ingesting Amanita phalloides, said police, who named Ms. Patterson as a suspect shortly after the fatal meal.
She has always maintained her innocence and claimed in August that she had purchased these mushrooms at an Asian grocery store and that it was an accident.
“I am devastated to think that these mushrooms could have contributed to the fatal outcome.” “I want to reiterate that I had absolutely no reason to harm these people I loved,” continued them away.
At Don and Gail Patterson’s funeral, the Rev. Fran Grimes said the congregation was trying to “protect the family from cruel speculation and rumors.”
Phalloid Amanitas, also known as Green Oronge and Chalice of Death, can easily be confused with edible species.
Its powerful toxins severely damage the liver and kidneys. There is currently no real antidote for phalloidin poisoning.