Death of Leongatha mushroom: Erin Patterson made Wellington meal with poisoned beef to win back husband Simon
A toxic luncheon had been held by the estranged wife of a popular church member in an attempt to reconcile with him.
Sources have told Daily Mail Australia that Erin Patterson, 48, has invited her estranged ex-husband Simon Patterson to their former family home for lunch with his parents. Gail and Don Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and her husband, Ian, who is a pastor, on Saturday, July 29.
Police are continuing to investigate Ms Patterson after Simon’s parents and Ms Wilkinson died on July 29 from eating the deadly luncheon at her home in Leongatha, Victoria’s Gippsland region.
Mr. Wilkinson, a minister of the Korumburra Baptist Church, remains committed to life in the hospital.
Erin Patterson speaks outside her home to waiting media on Thursday
Simon Patterson would join his parents for the lunch that cost them their lives
Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. It is clear that Erin was previously married to their son, Simon
The above family tree shows the connections between the Pattersons and Wilkinsons embroiled in the unusual Leongatha poisoning drama
A source close to Simon, who remains in hiding days after the tragedy, told Daily Mail Australia that his partner had no interest in getting back together with the mother of his two children.
“They went to her house for a mediation to talk to the family. Simon was going to have lunch there, but withdrew at the last minute, otherwise he would also be in that deathbed,” the friend said on Thursday.
“The people who died, Gail, Don and the Wilkinsons, spoke to them because they are deeply rooted in the church and they wanted to make sure she was in the right mental health to resume a relationship with Simon. .actually a petition to come back to him and the family didn’t think that was a good move.’
The friend claimed that Ms. Patterson was desperate to get back together with her estranged husband.
“She wanted to go back to Simon and the family didn’t want Simon to come back to her because they were worried about her mental state,” he said.
“They didn’t really think she was good enough for him in their eyes.
‘This was not just a lunch, it was an intervention with the pastor as a mediator. That’s why this lunch happened.’
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Ms Patterson is a wealthy property owner, who invested wisely after inheriting the money she received after the death of her parents in 2019.
Simon Patterson lived with his parents while recovering from a serious stomach problem
Those who died were all deeply involved with the Korumburra Baptist Church (pictured)
Her estranged husband still lives in a Korumburra house listed as owned by his ex-wife.
“She has about four or five properties and pays for them all with cash. She’s not working. She just buys the houses with cash. She has no mortgage. She is silver plated. She’s not stupid,” said a source.
Simon’s boyfriend insisted his partner had no idea his ex-wife had poisoned him after he fell ill with a mysterious stomach upset after the couple split.
It was revealed on Tuesday that Simon has been in intensive care for 21 days after collapsing at his home in May 2022.
Several of Simon’s friends have told Daily Mail Australia that he never accused his ex-wife of cheating.
On Thursday, Ms Patterson lashed out at a waiting media group, accusing them of imprisoning her in her own home.
“I have a lot of friends who want to help me, but I told them to stay away while all the vultures are here because they don’t want to be in the paper either,” she said.
“So I can’t get help from my friends who all want to come and help me, but they will all be subjected to the mess, so I have to leave my own house?”
Ms Patterson said she traveled to Melbourne to speak to her lawyers.
Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became seriously ill after eating wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband is in critical condition in hospital
Mourners continue to leave tributes outside Korumburra Baptist Church for those who died
This message was posted outside Korumburra Baptist Church
Police returned to a nearby dump to search CCTV footage
She has denied any wrongdoing and no charges are expected at this stage of the investigation.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Ms Patterson was responsible for Simon’s illness or the three deaths.
“What happened is devastating and I am also grieving and you have no respect for that,” she said Tuesday.
Sole survivor Ian Wilkinson remained in critical condition on Wednesday night awaiting a liver transplant.
Hours earlier, police returned to a dump in Koonwarra to request CCTV footage after a dehydrator was found discarded at the site.
It was previously revealed that detectives are investigating whether a food dehydrator had been used to prepare the meal and then thrown away a day after lunch.
Police are believed to be carrying out a forensic investigation into the device.