Mushroom poisoning deaths: Erin Patterson is spotted in Melbourne as her ex-husband raises new questions about his mysterious illness

The woman at the center of the poisonous mushroom lunch that killed three people has been spotted in Melbourne as her ex-husband raises new questions about his mysterious illness.

There was confusion over the whereabouts of 48-year-old Erin Patterson after she left her home in Leongatha, south-east Victoria, just before 10am on Thursday.

She told a waiting media pack that she was on her way to visit her lawyers in Melbourne – but a representative from that law firm was seen waiting outside her home around 5pm that same day to deliver a letter to her.

On Friday, Ms Patterson was photographed withdrawing money from an ATM on William Street in the heart of the Victorian capital CBD.

Known as the courtier, she was seen at a branch of the National Australia Bank just after 2pm wearing the same red shirt and white trousers she was pictured in on Tuesday.

Ms Patterson has been named a person of interest following the deadly mushroom luncheon on July 29 that killed her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.

Heather’s pastor husband Ian Wilkinson, 68, was also at the luncheon and is still fighting for life in a critical condition at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital.

The sighting comes as a close friend of Erin’s ex-husband Simon Patterson – who was invited to the fateful gathering but pulled out at the last minute – told Daily Mail Australia that last year Mr Patterson had questioned a mysterious stomach illness that almost claimed his life.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Erin tried to poison Simon, only that he made the claim

Simon’s mysterious illness led to him spending 21 days in an intensive care unit and he was forced to spend months in rehab.

Several of his friends told Daily Mail Australia that at the time he did not suspect the mysterious illness was related to foul play.

A friend, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia that if Simon knew what caused the illness, he would not have told friends or family.

“He has worked very hard to rehabilitate. He went and stayed with his parents and at that time there was no question of anything untoward,” the friend said.

The couple had already divorced when he fell ill.

During the time Mr. Patterson was in hospital, his ex-wife continued to update his concerned friends on social media about his condition.

“As far as we all knew, they were very friendly. He never said a bad word about her. He wouldn’t. They have kids together and he’s that kind of person,” said another friend.

A representative of Ms. Patterson’s law firm was forced to camp outside her home on Thursday night in an attempt to hand her legal instructions.

He left without delivering after Mrs. Patterson failed to return home.

The representative told Daily Mail Australia that this was the only way Ms Patterson could be contacted after detectives seized her phone and computer equipment.

Clearly, attorneys acting for Ms. Patterson are concerned for her well-being amid the media frenzy beyond her rural property.

On Friday, speculation swirled amid apparently false reports that homicide detectives had brought Ms. Patterson in for an interview.

Victoria Police have virtually closed their lines of communication with the media.

In short, there are no updates on the investigation and we do not expect this to change in the short term. The deaths are still being treated as unexplained and the fourth person is still in critical condition in hospital,” a spokesperson said on Thursday.

“We are not currently facilitating requests for interviews or an upcoming press conference. Nor will we provide background information or off-the-record briefings about the investigation.”

The spokesman said detectives would not comment on the details of the investigation and what it entailed

“We absolutely understand the interests of the media and the community, but we are constantly balancing this against the need to ensure that the investigation is conducted appropriately and is not unduly impacted by information disclosure,” the spokesperson said. .

Daily Mail Australia has the chamber pot on ThursdayA solitary luncheon had been hosted by Erin Patterson to try and reconcile with her former husband.

The revelation that Ms Patterson wanted to get back together with her estranged husband, who backed out of lunch at the last minute, came amid reports that the deadly dish she served was a beef wellington pie.

A source close to Simon Patterson 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 right to resume a relationship with Simon… back with 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 with Simon and the family didn’t want Simon to come back with her,” 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.’

Ms Patterson has denied any allegations 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.