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Family, fake disease and a special dish: All about Australia's 'Mushroom' murder mystery

Published: May 13, 2025, 09:56 IST | Updated: May 13, 2025, 09:56 IST

Family, fake disease and a special dish: All about Australia's 'Mushroom' murder mystery

Story highlights

Trending | World | A family gathering in South Gippsland, Australia, on July 29, 2023, turned into a significant news event. Six people, including Don and Gail Patterson, were present for lunch.

It looked like a normal afternoon on July 29, 2023. A family in Australia's South Gippsland region sat down for lunch. There were six people at the table: Don Patterson, Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson, Ian Wilkinson, and the host, Erin Patterson.

It was the house of Erin and others were her in-laws whom she had invited for a lunch. She was separated from her husband Simmon Patterson. He was also expected to join them for the lunch but cancelled the plan a night before.

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“Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, Mum, Dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow - but I’m happy to talk about your health and implications of that at another time,” he wrote to Erin.

Hosting lunches and inviting her in-laws was not something Erin used to do. But she told them she had to inform them about something. She told them she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She told the guests that she wants them to advise her on how to break this news to her two kids.

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The timeline

The lunch started. Erin had made beef wellington: eye fillet steaks, topped with a mushroom paste, and encased in pastry. All the guests started eating.
A day after, on July 30, 2023, all the guests present at the lunch were immediately admitted to the hospital. They had gastro-like symptoms.
On August 4, 2023, Erin's mother-in-law and aunt-in-law died in the hospital.
On August 5, 2023, Erin's father-in-law, Don Patterson, took his last breath.
After these deaths, the Victoria police reached Erin's house and interrogated her. And after that, Erin was not disturbed.
A few months later, on November 2, 2023, Police again searched Erin’s house and this time arrested her for interrogation. After questioning, Erin was charged with three counts of murder relating to the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.
Erin, 50, has pleaded not guilty as her trial started on April 29, 2025.

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Turning points in the case

During the trial, it was found that Erin had not been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the issue for which she had invited everyone to lunch.
On day 10 of the trial, it was also found that the death cap mushroom, a deadly poisonous mushroom, was used in the dish at lunch. This has now raised the question of whether Erin was unaware of what mushroom she was using or whether she did it purposely.
The next day, after lunch, Erin gave the leftover dish to her two kids. She took them to a doctor for an emergency check-up to make sure the kids were not affected. The doctor revealed that Erin told the doctor that she scraped the mushroom paste from the kids' serve.

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Erin's son, whose name was not disclosed for privacy purposes, told the court during the trial that his mother took a photo of a specific mushroom while browsing because she "liked it".

About the Author

Gulshan Parveen

Passionate about international politics and social issues, Gulshan analyses key global events, from geopolitical conflicts and US politics to international diplomacy and social mov...Read More