Nine key twists and turns in Erin Patterson mushroom lunch saga

With murder and attempted murder charges laid against Erin Patterson, we look back at some of the many twists and turns in the deadly mushroom lunch saga that allegedly killed three people.

With murder charges now laid against Erin Patterson, we look back at some of the twists and turns of the mushroom lunch that allegedly killed three people and initially left another, pastor Ian Wilkinson, fighting for his life.

Allegedly the sole surviving guest of the lunch, Mr Wilkinson made an unexpected recovery from the meal that it’s claimed killed his wife Heather Wilkinson, 66, her sister Gail Patterson and brother-in-law Don Patterson, both 70.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting Ms Patterson deliberately poisoned her guests.

1. Kids & beef wellington

Erin Patterson said she served her children leftovers from the beef wellington meal she prepared for her guests — with the mushrooms scraped off because they didn’t like them. Detective Inspector Dean Thomas had earlier said Ms Patterson had prepared separate meals for herself and her children.

Erin Patterson has now been charged. Picture: Brooke Grebert-Craig.

2. Reason for lunch

It was reported Erin Patterson invited her former husband Simon Patterson to the lunch, along with her former in-laws and the Wilkinsons, as part of a church mediation process but that Simon pulled out of the function at the last minute. However, Ms Patterson said she remained close to her ex’s parents after her marriage broke down. “I had been close with Simon’s parents for a long period of time. Our relationship had continued in a fairly amicable way after I finished the relationship with their son Simon,” she said. “Our relationship was affected to some degree by seeing them less after my marriage breakdown with Simon, however, I have never felt differently towards his parents. I had a deep love and respect for Simon’s parents and had encouraged my children to spend time with their grandparents as I believed they were exceptional role models.”

4. Where mushies came from

It was reported Erin Patterson told police in her initial interview that she bought the mushrooms at a local store but later said she had purchased them at an Asian grocery store in Mount Waverley at least three months before the lunch and the label was handwritten, but she could not remember the store’s precise location.

5. Food dehydrator

Ms Patterson confirmed she dumped a food dehydrator at the tip.

Simon Patterson, the ex-husband of Erin Patterson. Picture: Facebook.

6. Did Erin get sick?

Ms Patterson said she was also admitted to hospital after the lunch with bad stomach pains and diarrhoea and was put on a saline drip and given a “liver protective drug” before being taken by ambulance from the Leongatha Hospital to the Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne on July 31. Gippsland Southern Health Service confirmed a fifth person went to Leongatha Hospital on July 30 with suspected food poisoning and was sent to Monash. But Insp Thomas said at a police press conference that Ms Patterson had not suffered symptoms. “She hasn’t presented with any symptoms, but we have to keep an open mind in relation to this,” he said.

7. Simon’s illness

The Herald Sun revealed Simon Patterson suffered a mystery gut illness in May 2022, which landed him in an induced coma for 16 days and required multiple surgeries.

8. Confusion

Ms Patterson at one point mistook her dead ex father-in-law Don Patterson for Ian Wilkinson, who was critically ill in ICU at the time, claiming Don was still alive. “I hope that every fibre of my being that Don pulls through,” she said of the man who had died days’ earlier.

Ian Wilkinson arrives at his wife’s memorial service. Picture: Seven News

9. Police interview

Ms Patterson reportedly gave a “no comment” interview to police after the deaths. She said later in a statement she released that she found her police interviews “terrifying and anxiety-provoking”, but she regretted refusing to speak.

“I now very much regret not answering some questions following this advice given the nightmare that this process has become,” she said.

“I am now wanting to clear the record because I have become extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths of my loved ones. I am hoping this statement might help in some way. I believe if people understood the background more, they would not be so quick to rush to judgment. I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.”