It was meant to be a pleasant lunch in the land of Leongatha between loved ones. Now three people are dead from suspected mushroom poisoning – and the chef did NOT get sick

A woman who cooked a meal that resulted in the deaths of three people from suspected mushroom poisoning did not become ill herself, police say.

Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson, along with Mrs Wilkinson’s sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, fell ill after eating a lunch of hand-picked mushrooms at a property in Leongatha, Victoria’s Gippsland region, on July 29. .

All four went to hospital the next day as their condition deteriorated drastically and the two sisters, aged 70 and 66, died on Friday. Mr Patterson, 70, passed away Saturday night.

Mr Wilkinson, 68, is still in critical condition in hospital and is believed to be awaiting a liver transplant.

Homicide detectives searched the home where the luncheon was held on Saturday and questioned a 48-year-old woman who lives in the property and is the daughter-in-law of one of the couples. She has since been released pending further investigation.

Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas confirmed that the 48-year-old is a person of interest because she had cooked the meal.

“She hasn’t shown any symptoms, but we have to be open to it, that it could be very harmless, but again, we just don’t know at this point,” he said Monday.

No fees are expected to be charged at this stage of the investigation.

Mr Thomas added that while investigations into the trio’s deaths have not necessarily meant they have been treated as suspicious, they are “inexplicable”.

The 48-year-old’s two children were also present for lunch, but Mr Thomas said they ate different meals to the adults and were not ill.

Those two children were taken to hospital as a precaution and have been removed from their mother’s care.

Mr Thomas said police ‘assumed’ the deaths were from mushrooms, adding that the symptoms presented are related to deadly mushrooms.

“We have seized a number of items related to the case, many of the items seized will be forensically tested in the hope that they can shed some light on what happened,” he said.

Investigators say it is not yet known if the case is suspicious as they are still trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the case (Photo: Pickled mushroom)

Mr Thomas previously told Radio 3AW that officers were working to determine whether any ‘nefarious activity’ had taken place.

“Or if it’s… in this case… it’s an accidental situation where these people died from some form of poisoning, you know, not at the hands of someone else. So we don’t know yet,” he said.

“We will be working closely with medical experts, toxicologists… in hopes that we can understand exactly what is going on and provide some answers to the family.

“We’re trying to understand who ate what at lunch, whether or not that person who didn’t get sick ate the mushrooms… And of course we’re trying to determine what caused the poisoning… to the four people present. ‘

Urgent warning about eating pickled mushrooms

GP Ginni Mansberg told Sunrise on Monday that mushroom poisonings occur from picked mushrooms and not from mushrooms bought in supermarkets.

Detectives 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, containing none of the toxins that tragically caused these deaths,” said Dr. Mansberg.

“This all comes down to wild mushroom foraging. It’s just so hard to tell the difference between what is a perfectly safe mushroom and one that can end in tragedy.

“Even experts can find it very difficult. I know there are some apps that can let Geo locate you and then you can take a picture.

“They all have disclaimers saying don’t eat the mushrooms because the worst case scenario is just that bad and it’s a horrible death.”

GP Ginni Mansberg (pictured) says mushroom poisonings occur from picked mushrooms and not from supermarket bought mushrooms

The GP warned that while wild mushrooms are eaten abroad, toxins in Australia cannot be destroyed by cooking or washing.

When digested, the toxins work throughout the human body, destroying the liver.

Medical director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, Darren Roberts, wrote in April about the dangers of mushroom picking.

“Poisonous mushrooms can resemble edible mushrooms and can look different depending on where they grow, including on other continents,” Roberts wrote in The conversation.

‘Apps for mushroom identification are not accurate enough in Australia. It’s also not clear how useful mushroom identification books are in helping people distinguish the edible from the poisonous.

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 can’t repair.”

He said examples of such mushrooms is the skull 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 about the tragedy.

“This past week has been a time of shock and sadness for all of us,” said the local newspaper, the South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.

“They were parents, grandparents, siblings, children and pillars of faith in 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 even people around the world.”

“Our families will assist the appropriate authorities in any way they can and respect all necessary processes in the midst of this tragedy.”