ERIN Patterson has been arrested following a deadly mushroom lunch that killed three in Australia in July.
The 48-year-old was taken to Wonthaggi Police Station in East Victoria on Thursday, authorities told local media.
NineErin Patterson has been arrested following the deaths of three of her family members after she hosted a deadly lunch in July[/caption]
NineThe fatal meal included death cap mushrooms[/caption]
NineGail Patterson, Erin’s former mother-in-law, died after eating the meal at Erin’s home[/caption]
NineGail’s husband Don Patterson also died[/caption]
The woman was questioned by cops on her connection with the deaths of her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, 66.
All three died after eating a deadly beef Wellington that Patterson had made at her home in Leongatha in July.
The meal turned out to have included death cap mushrooms.
Patterson initially said she had purchased the mushrooms from an Asian supermarket in Melbourne months before the fatal incident.
But her neighbour insisted that locals didn’t forage for wild mushrooms because they “know the danger”.
Erin later claimed, however, that she got the mushrooms from two different stores.
She said she bought button mushrooms from a major supermarket chain near her home and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store in Mount Waverley months before.
But despite her claims she bought the fungus from shops in the state, Victoria’s Health Department had no health alerts for any mushroom sales.
Asian shops and mushroom growers in the area also did not have any issues reported to them, and none of their mushroom products were recalled.
Patterson denies deliberately poisoning her family members.
Wilkinson’s husband Ian also ate the mushrooms and spent two months in hospital, but he made a lucky recovery.
The 68-year-old was pictured last month attending his wife Heather’s funeral, just days after being released from hospital.
Police initially launched an investigation into the mystery deaths and Erin instantly denied any wrongdoing.
But she admitted lying to the cops more than two weeks after the incident.
Cops immediately seized a food dehydrator from a tip, believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms, after the trio died.
Erin told police she had dumped her food dehydrator at a local tip “a long time ago” – but later backtracked and told police it was hers.
The mum said she panicked and dumped the dehydrator.
Questions were also raised over why Erin didn’t get ill herself – despite claiming to have eaten the same food.
Homicide detectives made Erin a person of interest as she cooked the meal and did not have symptoms of poisoning.
But in a police statement a fortnight later, Erin claimed she became poorly and was taken to hospital.
Reports also conflicted over whether Erin’s children were at the lunch.
Initially, it was said her son and daughter were there – but she later claimed had gone to the cinema before the gathering started.
Their dad, Erin’s ex Simon, meanwhile was supposed to join his former spouse and his parents for lunch at their former family home.
But friends said the dad pulled out of the get-together at the last minute for unknown reasons.
Australian media reports police have also been searching Patterson’s home following Thursday’s arrest.
No charges have been made.
Erin’s ex-husband Simon was supposed to go to the lunch – but pulled out at the last minute
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