Deadly mushroom lunch: Victoria police address public
Victoria homicide detectives have arrested Erin Patterson, who is alleged to have cooked a meal with poisonous mushrooms at a gathering in Leongatha, Victoria during July, 2023.
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00:00 This morning detectives arrested a 49-year-old female in relation to this incident and a search
00:07 warrant was subsequently executed at her residential address. This search is currently
00:13 ongoing and we are being assisted by the AFP's technology detector dogs. Homicide squad
00:22 investigators have previously interviewed this woman in relation to an incident that occurred
00:28 on the 29th of July where four people fell ill following taking part in a meal at a private
00:37 residence there in Leungatha. Three of those people, Heather Wilkinson, Gail Patterson and
00:44 Don Patterson, unfortunately passed away in hospital following taking part in that meal.
00:55 The fourth person, Ian Wilkinson, was released from hospital in late September
01:00 and I understand that he continues to recover.
01:04 Once the search of the premises is complete today the female will be interviewed by Homicide Squad
01:12 investigators. We will provide updates as the day progresses. Over the last three months
01:21 investigators have been, this investigation has been subject to incredibly intense levels of
01:27 public scrutiny and curiosity. I cannot think of another investigation that has generated this
01:34 level of media and public interest, not only here in Victoria but also nationally and
01:42 internationally. I think it's particularly important that we keep in mind that at the heart
01:48 of this three people have lost their lives. These are three people who by all accounts were
01:56 much beloved in their communities and are greatly missed by their loved ones. These deaths also
02:03 continue to have a significant impact on the media, on the immediate families of those involved
02:09 and I ask that people are particularly mindful of this over the coming days. In smaller communities
02:16 such as Leongatha and Currumburra a tragedy such as this can reverberate for years to come.
02:23 I know people have many questions in relation to this matter and will be hopeful that I can
02:31 provide answers to them today. However it's not that simple. Today's arrest is just the next step
02:38 in what has been a complex and thorough investigation by Homicide Squad detectives
02:44 and one that is not yet over. While we do want to provide timely updates about this matter
02:51 it is critical that doing this does not adversely impact the current investigation or any future
02:58 processes. I encourage people to be particularly mindful of unnecessary speculation and the sharing
03:07 of misinformation. While police are doing everything we can to ensure this investigation
03:14 is not impacted by this, again I stress at the heart of these matters are the recent deaths of
03:21 three people and families and loved ones who are trying to come to terms with this. Finally I'd
03:29 like to thank members of the public who have reached out and provided information in relation
03:34 to this incident.
03:35 [No audio]