A woman who cooked a meal that resulted in the death of three people from suspected mushroom poisoning did not get sick herself, police say.
Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson, along with Mrs Wilkinson’s sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, became ill after they ate a lunch that included hand-picked mushrooms at a property in Leongatha, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, on July 29.
All four went to hospital the next day as their condition drastically worsened with the two sisters, aged 70 and 66, dying on Friday. Mr Patterson, 70, died on Saturday night.
Mr Wilkinson, 68, remains in a critical condition in hospital and is believed to be waiting on a liver transplant.
Detectives from the homicide squad searched the home where the lunch was held on Saturday, and questioned a 48-year-old woman who lives at the property and is the daughter-in-law of one of the couples. She has since been released pending further inquiries.
Victoria Police Detective Inspector for the Homicide Squad, Dean Thomas, confirmed the 48-year-old is a person of interest as she had cooked the meal.
‘She hasn’t presented with any symptoms but we have to keep an open mind in relation to this, that it could be very innocent but again we just don’t know at this point,’ he said on Monday.
Charges are not expected to be laid at this stage of the investigation.
Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured), along with Mrs Wilkinson’s sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, became severely ill after they ate wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital
Mr Thomas added that while investigations into the trio’s deaths did not mean they were necessarily being treated as suspicious, they are ‘unexplained’.
The 48-year-old’s two children were also present at the lunch but Mr Thomas said they ate different meals to the adults and did not experience any illnesses.
Those two children were taken to hospital as a precaution and have been removed from their mother’s care.
Mr Thomas said police were ‘presuming’ the deaths were from mushrooms, adding the symptoms presented are linked to death cap mushrooms.
‘We’ve seized a number of exhibits in relation to the matter, a lot of the items we have seized will be forensically tested in the hope that they can shed some light on what’s occurred,’ he said.
Investigators say it is not yet known whether the matter is suspicious as they are still trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the case (pictured: foraged mushroom)
Mr Thomas earlier told Radio 3AW that officers were working to determine if any ‘nefarious activity’ had occurred,
‘Or if it’s … in this case … an accidental-type situation where these people have passed away from some form of poisoning, you know, not at the hands of somebody else. So, we don’t know yet,’ he said.
‘We will be working closely with medical experts, toxicologists … in the hope we can understand exactly what has gone on and provide some answers to the family.
‘We’re trying to understand who ate what at the lunch, whether that person that did not become ill did or did not eat the mushrooms … And of course, we’re trying to ascertain what it is that has actually caused the poisoning … to the four people that attended.’
Urgent warning about eating foraged mushrooms
GP Ginni Mansberg told Sunrise on Monday, that mushroom poisonings occur from foraged mushrooms and not those purchased at supermarkets.
Detectives have questioned a local woman, 48, who is believed to have cooked the meal but she has since been released
‘There is no risk from the supermarket. We have this incredible variety that is completely safe, that have none of the toxins that have tragically caused these deaths,’ Dr Mansberg said.
‘This all comes down to foraging wild mushrooms. It’s just so difficult to tell the difference between what is a perfectly safe mushroom and one that could end in tragedy.
‘Even experts can find it really difficult. I know there are a number of apps you can get that Geo locate you and then you can take a photo.
‘They all have disclaimers on them all telling you not to eat the mushrooms because the worst-case scenario is just so bad and it’s an awful death.’
GP Ginni Mansberg (pictured) says mushroom poisonings occur from foraged mushrooms and not those purchased at supermarkets
The GP warned that although wild mushrooms are eaten overseas, toxins in Australia cannot be destroyed by cooking or washing.
When digested, the toxins work through the human body and destroy the liver.
Medical Director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, Darren Roberts, in April, wrote about the dangers of picking mushrooms.
‘Toxic mushrooms can resemble edible ones, and might look different according to where they grow, including across continents,’ Mr Roberts wrote in The Conversation.
‘Mushroom identification apps do not appear to be accurate enough in Australia. It’s also not clear how useful mushroom-identification books are at helping people distinguish the edible from the toxic.
‘Australia also has poisonous mushrooms that can kill, or cause permanent liver or kidney failure.
‘That’s because they contain toxins that kill liver, kidney and other cells in essential organs of the body that the body cannot repair.’
He said examples of such mushrooms is the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides), which is found in Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
Earlier this year Victoria Health also warned people not to pick dangerous mushrooms after weeks of wet weather.
On Sunday the Wilkinson and Patterson families released a statement on the tragedy.
‘The past week has been a time of shock and grief for us all,’ it read, as reported in the local paper, the South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.
‘They were parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and pillars of faith within our community.’
‘Their love, steadfast faith, and selfless service have left an indelible mark on our families, the Korumburra Baptist Church, the local community, and indeed, people around the globe.’
‘Our families will assist appropriate authorities in any way we can and respect any necessary processes amidst this tragedy.’
