Erin Patterson charged with three murders, four months after Wellington poison mushroom beef lunch in Leongatha

Erin Patterson has been charged with three counts of murder over the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the deaths of three of her family members four months ago.

Patterson was arrested at her home in Leongatha in Victoria’s Gippsland region on Thursday morning, before police conducted a painstaking search of the property throughout the day.

She was questioned by detectives at Wonthaggi police station for five hours before police announced charges had been laid at around 7.30pm.

Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

Four of the attempted murder charges involve her estranged husband Simon Patterson.

The murder charges and two of the attempted murder charges relate to the July 29 mushroom lunch in which four of Erin Patterson’s family members became ill after a meal at her home.

Heather Wilkinson, 66, Heather’s sister Gail Patterson and her husband Don Patterson, both 70, all died in August in the days after eating Erin’s beef Wellington.

The Pattersons were the parents of Mrs. Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, who was also scheduled to attend the lunch but skipped the meal at the last minute.

Mrs Wilkinson’s husband, Baptist church minister Ian Wilkinson, 68, was the only survivor but was left seriously ill and spent almost two months in hospital.

The three other attempted murder charges relate to three separate incidents involving Simon Patterson, Erin Patterson’s estranged husband.

“The remaining three attempted murder charges relate to three separate incidents in Victoria between 2021 and 2022,” a police statement said.

“It is alleged that a 48-year-old Korumburra man became ill after meals on these dates.”

Erin Patterson was remanded in custody and will spend Thursday evening behind bars before appearing at Morwell Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning.

Homicide Unit Detective Dean Thomas said the indictment is just the next step in an incredibly complex, methodical and thorough investigation.

“Over the past three months, this investigation has been subject to incredibly intense public scrutiny and curiosity,” he said in a statement.

“I can’t think of any other study that has generated so much media and public interest, not just here in Victoria, but nationally and internationally.

“I think it’s particularly important that we keep in mind that at the heart of this, three people have lost their lives. These are three people who were, by all accounts, deeply loved in their communities and deeply missed by their loved ones.”

He acknowledged that the deaths and alleged incidents continue to have a significant impact on the immediate families of those involved.

“In smaller communities like Leongatha and Korumburra, a tragedy like this can reverberate for years,” Detective Thomas added.

‘I know people will undoubtedly have many unanswered questions about this matter, but I urge people to be especially alert to unnecessary speculation and not to share misinformation.

“Our thoughts today are with the families of those affected and we will continue to ensure they receive all the necessary support they need.”

Earlier in the day, forensic experts were seen rummaging through a busy garage at the home and combing through the interior of her red MG ZS SUV, parked in the property’s driveway.

Detectives have deployed specially trained ‘technology sniffer dogs’ – which can detect USB memory keys and SIM cards – to search the property.

The technology sniffer dogs have been provided by the Australian Federal Police, who say they can find memory storage devices such as USBs, hard drives, mobile phones, storage device cards and SIM cards.

Considered the most elite of all sniffer dogs, the dogs are capable of detecting the micron-thin coating that protects computer circuit boards.

Their noses are so sensitive that they can detect small SIM cards or memory cards hidden in walls or even hidden in fruit.

The dogs were seen exploring various locations in the house, closely inspecting a couch on the back deck of the house.

Mrs. Patterson’s car was also thoroughly searched several times by detectives and sniffer dogs.

Five cars, including Ms. Patterson’s, were parked in her driveway Thursday morning. Ms Patterson’s rubbish bins were left outside her property.

The charges come after Pastor Wilkinson allegedly assisted homicide detectives with the investigation following his release from the hospital on September 23.

Police believe the symptoms the four guests experienced were consistent with the effects of eating death cap mushrooms.

“Today’s arrest is just the next step in a complex and thorough investigation by homicide detectives, and an investigation that is not over,” Detective Thomas told reporters earlier in the day.

“Once the search is complete, the woman will be interviewed by homicide investigators. We will provide updates throughout the day.”

Ms Patterson became the focus of the police investigation after it emerged she had cooked the meal. She has always strongly denied that anything went wrong.

She said she took the last remaining plate and ate a portion, later handing the leftovers to the hospital’s toxicologists for examination.

In the wake of the tragedy, Ms. Patterson spoke of her love for the poisoning victims, especially her in-laws.

“I am devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness of my loved ones,” she said.

“I really want to reiterate that I had absolutely no reason to hurt the people I loved.”

Ms Patterson said she made the amazing lunch using a mixture of mushrooms from a major supermarket chain and dried mushrooms from an Asian supermarket in Melbourne.

In her statement to police, which was leaked to the media, Ms Patterson said she plated the meal and let her guests choose their own.

A drying oven was later dumped at the local landfill because of her concerns that her estranged husband would blame her for the death of his parents and gain custody of their two children, she said.

Death cap mushrooms contain deadly amatoxin that catastrophically affects a person’s body and essentially “melts a person’s liver,” a medical expert told Daily Mail Australia.

It is so powerful that you don’t even have to eat part of the mushroom for it to be fatal.

Simply consuming the liquid in which the mushrooms are cooked can be enough to kill.