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<\/p>\nON a quiet Saturday afternoon in Australia, Erin Patterson served up a lunch for her former in-laws.<\/p>\n
But within days, the mum's beef wellington became notorious around the world as three of her four guests died.<\/p>\n
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Doctors said their symptoms were consistent with poisoning by death cap mushrooms, which grow wild in the area.<\/p>\n
It led to frenzied speculation that Erin purposely tried to kill them by cloaking the toxic fungi with delicious ingredients.<\/p>\n
The mum-of-two, however, has always maintained her innocence as she and the police grapple with theories smothering the internet.<\/p>\n
A series of twists and turns have gripped thousands of people globally as it remains unclear whether this was a case of calculated murder or an innocent error.<\/p>\n
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Erin, 48, is said to have held the\u00a0deadly gathering\u00a0on July 29 in a bid to try and\u00a0win back her estranged ex-husband\u00a0Simon Patterson.<\/p>\n
She invited her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson, plus Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, to her home in Leongatha for a bite to eat.<\/p>\n
Erin served up a beef wellington – but soon after her\u00a0guests became violently ill.<\/p>\n
Gail and Don, both 70, and Heather, 66, later died, while Ian\u00a0was left fighting for his life.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Police launched an investigation into the mystery deaths and Erin instantly denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n But she admitted lying to the cops more than two weeks after the incident.<\/p>\n Cops immediately seized a food dehydrator from a tip, believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms, after the trio died.<\/p>\n Erin told police she had dumped her food dehydrator at a local tip "a long time ago" – but later backtracked and told police it was hers.<\/p>\n The mum said she panicked and dumped the dehydrator.<\/p>\n Questions were also raised over why Erin didn't get ill herself – despite claiming to have eaten the same food.<\/p>\n Homicide detectives made Erin a person of interest as she cooked the meal and did not have symptoms of poisoning.<\/p>\n But in a police statement a fortnight later, Erin claimed she became poorly and was taken to hospital.<\/p>\n Reports also conflicted over whether Erin's children were at the lunch.<\/p>\n Initially, it was said her son and daughter were there – but she later claimed had gone to the cinema before the gathering started.<\/p>\n Their dad, Erin's ex Simon, meanwhile was supposed to join his former spouse and his parents for lunch at their former family home.<\/p>\n But friends said the dad pulled out of the get-together at the last minute for unknown reasons.<\/p>\n Even more bizarrely, Simon said he almost died from a mystery stomach illness last year.<\/p>\n A pal claimed he \u201csuspected\u201d Erin had tried to poison him through an \u201cingested toxin\u201d.<\/p>\n The family friend told the\u00a0Herald Sun: \u201cSimon suspected he had been poisoned by Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were times he had felt\u2026 a bit off and it often coincided when he spent time with her.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon confirmed he fell ill in May 2022, and said he collapsed at home and was placed into an induced coma.<\/p>\n The mushrooms Erin used to prepare the dish also came under intense scrutiny.<\/p>\n She initially told cops that she picked up the mushrooms from a local shop in the Leongatha area.<\/p>\n But her neighbour insisted that locals didn\u2019t forage for wild mushrooms because they "know the danger".<\/p>\n Erin later claimed, however, that she got the mushrooms from two different stores.<\/p>\n She said she bought button mushrooms from a major\u00a0supermarket chain near her home, and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store\u00a0in Mount Waverley months before.<\/p>\n But despite her claims she bought the fungus from shops in the state, Victoria\u2019s Health Department had\u00a0no health alerts for any mushroom sales.<\/p>\n Asian shops and mushroom growers in the area also did not have any issues reported to them, and none of their mushroom products were recalled.<\/p>\n In a further twist, an ambulance worker alerted investigators after a final conversation with one of the victims.<\/p>\n They heard one of the guest's dying words and felt the need to pass on what was said to police, according to an insider.<\/p>\n As amateur sleuths globally tried to unpick the mystery, Erin and her private life were put under the microscope.<\/p>\n A tradesman came forward to reveal he found what was described as a "death wall" in her former home.<\/p>\n Red and blue markers were used to scrawl eerie drawings and messages over the wall – with one chilling note reading: "You don't [have] long to live".<\/p>\n Former pals meanwhile claimed Erin was obsessed with true crime novels, and was "very smart".<\/p>\n She also told online pals she "resented" her husband for being lazy with household work, reports Sky News Australia.<\/p>\n It is unclear who ended their relationship or why.<\/p>\n Friends said Erin organised the lunch in a bid to win her ex back.<\/p>\n But after the deadly lunch, Erin claimed it was her who gave him the boot.<\/p>\n She said: "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.<\/p>\n "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."<\/p>\n No charges have been filed against Erin, but the investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/OP_LY_WILKO.jpg\")
<\/picture>WILKO WOES <\/span><\/p>\nFull list of Wilko stores closing revealed \u2013 is one near you shutting for good?<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/ac-leaving-ntas-comp.jpg\")
<\/picture>GONG HOME <\/span><\/p>\nNTAs stars look all partied out as EastEnders & Love Island favourites head home<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/new-holly2-jmac.jpg\")
<\/picture>QUEUE JUMP <\/span><\/p>\nNTA fans spot awkward moment Holly ‘jumps in front of Alison’ to hug Jay Blades<\/h3>\n
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<\/picture>this moaning! <\/span><\/p>\nThis Morning booed by fans inside NTAs as Holly Willoughby watches show lose<\/h3>\n
SHROOM TWISTS<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nRead More on The Sun<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nFull list of Wilko stores closing revealed \u2013 is one near you shutting for good?<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2hol-comp.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHolly Willoughby breaks silence on This Morning’s crushing loss at NTAs<\/h3>\n
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