New details emerge of mushroom cook’s family tragedy

Fresh details have emerged about the deaths of Erin Patterson’s parents, as former neighbours of the “quiet couple” reveal their shock at news of the fatal meal.

Erin Patterson arriving at her Leongatha home after three people died eating Death Cap mushrooms from a meal she had cooked. Picture: Jason Edwards

The woman who cooked a deadly beef Wellington lunch that killed three people has an extensive property portfolio that she partly inherited from her mother.

Erin Patterson, 48, currently owns two properties, a townhouse in Mount Waverley and a two-storey home in Leongatha where cooked the fatal mushroom meal on July 29.

Ms Patterson also once owned an oceanfront property at Eden, in New South Wales.

She inherited the home from her parents, Eitan and Heather Scutter, following their deaths, but sold it in 2019 for $900,000.

Former neighbours of Ms Patterson’s parents told the Herald Sun the couple had retired to the remote seaside getaway and spent their last years there before their deaths.

Heather Scutter, who regularly featured in the Herald Sun, died of cancer in 2019. Picture: Manuela Cifra

According to neighbours, Mr Scutter – known to friends as Hugh – lost his battle with cancer in 2011, before Heather succumbed to the same disease eight years later.

The house was described as an “outstanding four-bedroom home” with “uninterrupted water views” of the South Pacific Ocean.

Ms Scutter was a lecturer in children’s literature at Monash University and was often quoted in the Herald Sun in 1999 and 2000.

Erin Patterson and her sister sold the Eden property for $900,000 after their mother’s death.

Ms Patterson’s parents retired to the beachfront home in 2009.

She also wrote multiple books including Displaced Fictions: Contemporary Australian Books for teenagers and Young Adults.

People in Eden remembered the pair as “lovely neighbours” who mostly kept to themselves and recalled that Ms Patterson would regularly come to visit them.

One former neighbour said she felt sorry for Ms Patterson’s two young children, after their grandparents Don and Gail Patterson died after eating poisonous mushrooms.

It comes as Ms Patterson gave her version of events regarding the meal she prepared for her former parents-in-law, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian.

Mr and Mrs Patterson and Ms Wilkinson died this month while Mr Wilkinson, a Korumburra pastor, is in hospital in a critical but stable condition.

Ms Patterson has denied any wrongdoing and the Herald Sun is not suggesting that she intended to poison her guests.

In a written statement, Ms Patterson claimed she bought some of the mushrooms at an Asian grocery store and admitted lying to police when she dumped a food dehydrator her husband accused her of using to poison the victims.

Erin Patterson’s bought a unit in Mount Waverley in 2019.

Deputy Police Commissioner Wendy Steendam said the statement was not an official police one but a document provided by Ms Patterson’s lawyers.

“What I would say is that anything that’s in the media … working on an investigation through the media is unhelpful to our investigation,” she told ABC radio on Thursday.

“The matter needs to be dealt with by us, looked at (by) us, and determined by us thoroughly what’s actually occurred, and using the evidence that we have to determine and understand exactly what’s happened and if we can explain what caused the deaths.”

She also owns the sprawling Leongatha property where the fatal lunch took place. Picture: Ian Currie

Ms Steendam did not draw on the contents of the statement or whether she believed it was an accurate account of what occurred.

“I don’t think it’s helpful to actually comment further on this investigation,” she said.

“It is an active matter and when we have more to say publicly, we’ll do that. But I think to speculate or to talk about the aspects of the investigation in detail is unhelpful.”

Ms Steendam said the investigation into the “unexplained” deaths would be lengthy.

“We have been very careful to indicate we have not confirmed that they are murders and we are keeping an open mind on what has actually occurred,” she said. 

“I understand the interest and the desire to have more information about this, but given it’s an active investigation … I am limited in what I actually can say about the matter, except to say, it’s not going to be quick.

“This needs to be investigated thoroughly. We’re working with the health department, and we will take as much time as needed to understand what’s occurred and whether or not there are matters that we need to further investigate.”