Leongatha mushroom poisonings: Did mushroom cook’s marriage break-up leave a bitter taste?

A picture is emerging of a more acrimonious relationship between the woman who cooked the meal suspected of leading to the deaths of three people and her estranged husband.

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

A picture is emerging of a more acrimonious relationship between the woman who cooked the meal suspected of leading to the deaths of three people and her estranged husband who also fell seriously ill last year but in different circumstances.

Mother-of-two Erin Patterson is a police suspect in the deaths of her former in-laws and another elderly woman and Ms Patterson’s relationship with her ex-husband Simon has been heavily in the spotlight.

Police have described their split as ‘’amicable’’ but people in the twin Gippsland towns of Leongatha and Korumburra are openly questioning whether the relationship was as civil as originally thought.

Amid news a police investigation could take weeks, locals in the towns at the centre of the mystery have been left to ponder what led to the deaths of Ms Patterson’s former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, who all attended lunch at Erin Patterson’s near new house in Leongatha, about 125km south east of Melbourne.

Simon Patterson, the ex-husband of Erin Patterson.

The local Baptist pastor in Korumburra Ian Wilkinson, who also attended the July 29 lunch, is in Melbourne’s Austin Hospital fighting for life.

Several residents who spoke to The Australian on Thursday questioned the closeness of the pair in light of the separation and questions over what role, if any, Ms Patterson played in the deaths of the three people.

Ms Patterson has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and detectives, while naming her as a suspect, insist they have an open mind on the case, which is expected to be long-running because of the nature of the illnesses.

The South Gippsland rumour mill is whirring in overdrive, with three individuals from the town of Korumburra claiming Ms Patterson and her husband were at odds over their high school-aged children.

One said their relationship had gone “south”, and another said the separation was “not amicable”. They had lived separately but maintained co-parenting arrangements, one local said.

Another local said they believed Ms Patterson was genuinely concerned at the time and that she had a lot ‘’on her plate’’. She had also sold another property about two years ago.

All three said the couple were private people and mostly kept to themselves.

A local mother, who said her daughter played soccer with Ms Patterson’s daughter Hannah, said she was reserved at school pick ups and drop offs and they only ever had brief conversations.

There was universal acceptance that Ms Patterson’s former in-laws were well-liked in the town.

Sam Provan, who lives behind the Baptist church in Korumburra, came across Mr Patterson at the Korumburra Secondary College, where he used to teach science and physics.

“I was a menace at school. If I didn’t pick up things straight away, Mr Patterson would always stop (and say) What’s going on? How can we help you fix this,” he said.

He also said Mr Wilkinson helped maintain the lawns and gardens at the local aged care home and even “saved” the church years ago by installing a playground out the back, which is used as a child care centre.

Doubts about the strength of the relationship have intensified because Simon Patterson is not commenting on reports his former wife may have previously tried to poison him.

Simon Patterson’s family and the family of the other deceased have instructed his media spokeswoman not to respond to allegations that Erin Patterson had previously tried to poison him.

Don Patterson passed away after ingesting poisonous mushrooms. Picture: Supplied

Gail Patterson, his wife, has also died. Picture: Supplied

While the speculation is highly damaging to Ms Patterson, the family’s media spokeswoman said she had been instructed not to comment on behalf of the Patterson and Wilkinson families.

Victoria Police also have opted against killing the speculation amid the likelihood that the case will take weeks to investigate.

The family’s refusal to comment on the reporting has escalated scuttlebutt in the area the after three respected community members were apparently poisoned by death cap mushrooms allegedly cooked by Ms Patterson.

The local Baptist pastor Ian Wilkinson is in Melbourne’s Austin Hospital fighting for life.

Media in the area is also being offered information on the condition substantial sums of money is paid.

Flowers have been left at the front of her home. 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 Patterson and Wilkinsons are well respected in the area, leading to significant criticism of Erin Patterson, who is 48.

Melbourne’s Herald Sun reported on Thursday claims that Simon Patterson believed that his former wife had tried to poison him in the past.

The newspaper said he had thought that he became ill because he had ingested nightshade plants, although there are other rumours suggesting a serious incident that almost killed him related to another substance.

The Australian is not suggesting any wrongoing by Ms Patterson or that any of the rumours are true, only that they have been made and warrant investigation.

Simon Patterson has, however, kept a dignified silence since news of the deaths broke in The Weekend Australian last Saturday.

Simon Patterson is an active member of the local basketball community and posted on a Facebook page last June that he almost died from a mystery gut complaint.

“My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live,’’ he wrote.

“I am pleased to say all the medical work has seemed to have fixed the serious gut problems I had, and I’ve been feeling great for many days.

‘’I’m expected to make a full recovery so I’m back to the same capacity I had before I collapsed.’’

Police now believe the investigation could take weeks to complete and that there is no guarantee that charges will be laid.

They will examine medical records that relate to Simon Patterson’s illness last year.