A two hour drive south of Melbourne, Australia lies the sleepy town of Leongatha. With less than 6,000 inhabitants, the city is far from the busy neighboring city.
In fact, Leongatha is best known for its annual Daffodil Festival, which has been held since 1957 and, according to the local horticultural society, is “renowned as a family and community event packed with entertainment and fun”.
But this week the world’s press flocked to Leongatha for reasons other than the floral display.
International news teams have worked alongside local reporters in a media throng usually reserved for film premieres and general elections. But instead of Cannes or Canberra, the eyes of the world are on a secluded property in the middle of a wooded area in the city.
When the Mail came to visit this week, there was an eerie stillness in this remote farming community in the heart of Gippsland, Victoria. Because it was rocked by a secret that even Agatha Christie would be proud of.
Erin Patterson, 48, (pictured) is said to have poisoned four of her relatives by serving them death caps during a family dinner
Three people have now died and another man is in critical condition after allegedly consuming deadly death cap mushrooms during a family dinner hosted by 48-year-old Erin Patterson.
The question the Victoria Police Homicide Unit is now desperate to answer isn’t “crime” but rather, did Patterson accidentally kill three people she knows and loves, or is she a heartless killer with the deadly qualities exploiting local fungi to ward off their enemies? ?
To answer that question, we must outline the extraordinary sequence of events that rocked this community and the horrifying facts that, like mycelia, the “roots” of a fungus, have crept into the nightmares of its residents.
Mrs. Patterson lives with her two children in an imposing two-story house with elegant white slate tiles and a large adjoining garage. According to a friend, she inherited money from her parents, who died in 2019, and has invested in a number of local properties – all acquired without a mortgage.
Although separated from her ex-husband Simon, the two maintain a relationship for the sake of their children, whose names are not revealed. So it initially seemed nothing unusual that Ms Patterson invited Simon’s parents, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, to a Saturday lunchtime social with their grandchildren.
So on July 29, Gail and Don drove to Patterson’s house to see their two grandchildren and enjoy a hearty Beef Wellington garnished with mushrooms. They were joined by Gail’s sister and husband Heather and Ian Wilkinson (66 and 68 respectively).
Despite being separated from ex-husband Simon Patterson (pictured), the pair maintain a relationship for the sake of their children
It seemed to be a sociable Saturday like any other, and after lunch the four elderly guests made their way home. What they couldn’t know, however, is that deadly toxins from the supposed death cap – Amanita phalloides – were already coursing through their veins, targeting their liver and kidneys.
Later that evening, all four guests began complaining of stomach cramps and nausea. Overnight their condition worsened and they were admitted to hospitals in Leongatha and nearby Korumburra, where Ian Wilkinson was a respected and popular Baptist pastor.
Doctors initially assumed the patients were suffering from gastroenteritis or possibly severe food poisoning. But as the weekend drew to a close, it became clear that the situation was far more serious. The four were transferred to the much larger Austin Hospital in north-east Melbourne. And though they were getting weaker by the hour, hostess Patterson and her two children stayed fit and healthy.
We know the kids were served a completely different meal, but why Erin Patterson didn’t eat the beef herself remains a mystery.
On August 4, Gail and her sister, Heather, died in hospital. The following day, a week after the ill-fated lunch party, and despite the efforts of some of Victoria’s most experienced doctors, Don Patterson died too.
The only surviving guest, Ian Wilkinson, remains in critical condition and is fighting for his life. Even if he survives, doctors say he will urgently need a kidney transplant.
As the story of the family tragedy spread around the world, journalists and film crews stormed Erin Patterson’s home.
But they weren’t alone. That first weekend in August, Victoria Police issued a search warrant on the property and confiscated a number of items. Why, locals asked, were the police so quick to classify it as a foul?
On Sunday, August 6, as the police completed their search, journalists heard a loud wail outside the house. A native dingo caught in a trap – or the desperate howl of a damsel in distress?
Shortly thereafter, Chief Homicide Officer Kendra Jackson released a statement confirming the three deaths and announcing that a 48-year-old woman had been questioned by police. Erin Patterson was now the only suspect in a possible murder investigation.
This was confirmed by Detective Inspector Dean Thomas, but stressed that the investigation was still at an early stage and it was not yet clear whether the deaths were in fact suspicious.
The fatal luncheon was attended by Patterson’s mother-in-law Gail’s sister and her husband Heather and Ian Wilkinson, 66 and 68 respectively (pictured). Heather has died and Ian is fighting for his life
Meanwhile, Patterson not only faced a police investigation into her lunch party, but the whirlwind of rumors and gossip that was sweeping the small town.
Local people soon began to draw their own conclusions about their supposed guilt or innocence.
A prominent local businesswoman, who has kept a file of press clippings from day one, told the Mail this week she speculated “something was wrong” almost as soon as news of the deaths broke.
“How come she takes them over for lunch, they all get sick, but she’s all right?” She didn’t eat the mushrooms – and why the hell would that be? Did she just stand around while her guests continued eating?
As the news continued to make headlines around the world, Patterson decided it was time to break her silence.
On Monday, August 7, nine days after lunch, she faced the media for the first time. It was clear from the large bags under her eyes and swollen red cheeks that events had taken their toll on her.
Dressed in a baggy gray sweater and barely able to meet the eyes of the reporters around her, Patterson, portly and middle-aged, protested her innocence.
“My mother passed away four years ago and Gail has always been good and kind to me,” she said. “Ian and Heather were some of the best people I’ve ever met. They never did anything to me.’
She further described Gail as “like the mother I didn’t have.”
“My own children lost their grandmother,” she added.
And then she tearfully concluded: “I didn’t do anything, I loved her.”
Despite the sincere denial, Patterson refused to elaborate on where the mushrooms came from, who picked them, or even what exact meal she prepared for her guests.
(It would be days before a source close to the family revealed that the fateful dish was actually Beef Wellington.)
Patterson also didn’t reveal why she and her children hadn’t eaten the same meal as their guests.
And yet, even as she spoke, there lay behind her a possible clue as to where the mushrooms had come from – for a short distance away at the base of a tree was a cluster of bright orange mushrooms. Was there a murder weapon hidden in plain sight?
Patterson’s father-in-law Don Patterson (pictured) tragically died in the ordeal
In fact, the very day after Patterson made her public statement, police announced that forensic testing was underway looking for traces of death cap on a dehydrator recovered from a landfill.
At the same time, a Facebook post resurfaced from Erin’s former husband Simon Patterson, in which he revealed that a mysterious illness had kept him in intensive care for 21 days after he collapsed at his home in May last year and was undiagnosed Stomach suffered disease.
“I had three emergency surgeries, primarily on the small intestine, plus one other scheduled surgery,” he wrote.
“Twice my family was asked to come and say goodbye to me as I was not expected to survive.”
It is believed that the couple broke up soon after. Several friends told Chron Australia that at the time he had not suspected the mysterious illness was linked to a crime.
The Mail does not suggest that Erin attempted to poison Simon, only that the recent deaths have prompted him to question whether his illness over the past year may also have stemmed from accidental ingestion of poisonous mushrooms known to be found in Leongatha grow.
Police are now expected to ask for a copy of his medical records.
The Facebook post would only be the beginning of Simon’s commitment. Because on Wednesday, August 9, it turned out that the lunch party eleven days earlier may have had a very special purpose.
Patterson’s mother-in-law, Gail Patterson (pictured), also died after falling ill after lunch
Chron Australia reported that the lunch was a desperate attempt by Erin Patterson to reconcile with her ex-husband Simon. She hoped to win over her in-laws while the Wilkinsons were there as go-betweens.
A source close to Simon Patterson told the Mail: “You [Ms Patterson] wanted to return to Simon and the family did not want Simon to return to her. This was not just a lunch, it was an intervention with Pastor Ian Wilkinson as facilitator. That’s why this lunch came about.’
Last night, this extraordinary story showed no signs of slowing down. Since then, Patterson has lashed out at the reporters camped outside her property, accusing them of holding her captive in her own home.
“I have a lot of friends who want to help [me] “But I told them to stay away while all the vultures are here because they don’t want to be in the papers either,” she said.
“So I can’t get help from my friends who all come and want to help me but they will all be exposed to the crap. So do I have to move out of my own home?”
Events took an even more surreal turn at 10am Thursday when Patterson was seen carrying a large suitcase out of the house and told reporters she was on her way to a meeting with her lawyers in Melbourne.
However, farcistically, her lawyers were also waiting outside her home at the time, trying to contact her as her electronic devices had been confiscated by the police.
Deadly toxins from the suspected death cap mushroom targeted the liver and kidneys
While the drama is expected to continue, there is another detail that has caught the attention of local people and has fueled speculation. When Patterson asked police where the mushrooms came from, she allegedly claimed she bought them locally. But as far as one can tell, no one else who’s bought mushrooms locally has fallen victim to a questionable batch.
In the small towns around Leongatha, people remain incredulous when they ask how a tight-knit family group can sit down for lunch only to have three members die agonizingly from mushroom poisoning. Was Erin Patterson really capable of a triple homicide that could possibly claim another life?
“There are a lot of things we don’t know about this deal,” said a trader outside the Leongatha courthouse. “We all know it points to the woman, but that could be a false lead.”
Despite the allegations against her, the words of Erin Patterson, spoken outside her home last Monday, continue to ring through city streets: “I loved them and I am devastated that they are gone.”
Local Mayor Nathan Hersey has spoken of the “shock, disbelief and grief” sweeping through the community. He added that “there is a risk” when it comes to mushroom picking at Leongatha. “A lot of people would know what they’re looking for.”
Leongatha is now searching for answers. After all, the annual Daffodil Festival is just around the corner next month.