What Erin Patterson told police about fatal mushroom meal

The woman who cooked the deadly lunch that killed three people has given her version of events, saying she bought some of the mushrooms at an Asian grocery store she can’t recall the name of.

The woman who cooked a deadly beef Wellington lunch that killed three people has claimed she bought some of the mushrooms at an Asian grocery store she can’t recall the name of, adding her children ate leftovers.

Erin Patterson has also admitted lying to police about when she dumped a dehydrator her husband accused her of using to poison the victims.

For the first time, Ms Patterson has given her version of events regarding the meal she prepared for former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian Wilkinson.

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.

Those involved in the fatal mushroom lunch.

It is believed homicide detectives did not take the statement from Ms Patterson, but her lawyers sent them a copy.

In the statement written by Ms Patterson, she said she used a mixture of mushrooms in the beef Wellington dish.

She said she bought button mushrooms at a supermarket near her home and dried mushrooms “months” earlier at an Asian grocery shop in Melbourne, the name of which she could not remember.

The 48-year-old said she served the meal and allowed her guests to choose their own plates at her Leongatha home on July 29.

Erin Patterson told police her kids ate some of the beef Wellington the next day but scraped the mushrooms off.

She said she took the last plate and ate a serving of the dish herself, in the statement believed to have been tendered in recent days

Ms Patterson said her two children were not at the lunch because they had gone to the movies – despite homicide squad detectives previously stating they were present at the lunch.

She said her children ate leftovers from the lunch the following night, but she scraped the mushrooms off the dish because they did not like them.

At a press conference last week on the mystery mushroom deaths, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said Ms Patterson had prepared separate meals for herself and her children.

Ms Patterson also said she was admitted to hospital after the lunch with bad stomach pains and diarrhoea.

She 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, she said.

Ian Wilkinson, who remains in a critical condition, is the pastor at the Korumburra Baptist Church. Picture: Ian Currie

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 the police press conference that she did not have symptoms.

“She hasn’t presented with any symptoms, but we have to keep an open mind in relation to this,” he said.

Ms Patterson said she gave leftovers of the lunch to hospital toxicologists for examination. She was contacted by the Department of Health and was asked what might have caused the couples to feel unwell, she said.

Erin Patterson says she took the last plate and ate a serving of the dish herself. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Herald Sun revealed that one theory being investigated was whether a food dehydrator was used to preserve the mushrooms, before it was discarded at a nearby tip the day after they were eaten.

Ms Patterson confirmed she dumped the dehydrator at the tip after ex-husband Simon Patterson asked: “Is that what you used to poison them?”

The former newsletter editor admitted she lied to police, telling them she disposed of it “a long time ago” fearing she might be unable to look after her children.

Mr Patterson believed his ex-wife had tried to poison him through an “ingested toxin” after he battled a mystery gut illness in May last year that left him in an induced coma for 16 days, family sources have said.

The project engineering manager had plans to go to the deadly lunch but cancelled.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting Ms Patterson attempted to poison her ex-husband, only that he has made allegations to that effect.

Ms Patterson said she “reluctantly” agreed to take care of Mr Patterson after he became ill, saying the incident was unrelated to the deaths.

It has previously been reported that Ms Patterson gave a “no comment” interview to police after the deaths.

She said in her statement 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.”

Ms Patterson said she remained close to Mr Patterson’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.”

Simon Patterson, through his media representative, declined to comment.