Police have arrested Erin Patterson, the woman at the centre of the investigation into the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the death of three people in Gippsland, eastern Victoria.
She was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to Wonthaggi police station for questioning. No charges are believed to have been laid at this stage.
Heather Wilkinson, 66, her sister Gail Patterson and brother-in-law Don Patterson, both 70, all died after eating a beef Wellington served at the meal.
Heather’s husband, Baptist church pastor Ian Wilkinson, 68, was the sole survivor but was left critically ill and spent almost two months in hospital.
A police team of investigators are currently searching her home in Leongatha where the fatal family lunch took place on July 29.
Detectives have brought in specially-trained ‘technology detector dogs’ – who can sniff out USB memory keys and sim cards – to help scour the property.
Police have arrested Erin Patterson, the woman at the centre of the investigation into the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the death of three people in Gippsland, eastern Victoria
Erin Patterson was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to Wonthaggi police station for questioning. No charges are believed to have been laid at this stage
Five cars including Erin Patterson’s were parked in her driveway on Thursday morning as a man who appeared to be a detective seen spotted on his phone outside her house before returning inside.
Ms Patterson’s empty bins remained uncollected outside her property.
Her arrest comes after pastor Wilkinson was said to be helping police with the investigation after he was allowed to return home on September 22.
Police believe the symptoms the four diners experienced were consistent with the effects of eating death cap mushrooms.
Ms Patterson – who was the estranged daughter-in-law of Gail and Don Patterson – was the focus of the police investigation after it was revealed she cooked the meal.
She has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
On Thursday morning, Victoria Police confirmed they had made an arrest in the case.
Heather Wilkinson (left) died after the fatal family meal in Leongatha on July 29. Her husband Ian WIlkinson (right) was the sole survivor
Erin Patterson’s estranged in-laws Don and Gail Patterson both died after the fatal family meal
‘Homicide Squad detectives have arrested a woman this morning as part of their investigation into the deaths of three people following an incident in Leongatha earlier this year,’ a statement said.
‘Four people were taken to hospital on July 40 after they became ill following a meal at a private residence in Leongatha the previous day.
‘Two Korumburra women, aged 66 and 70, passed away in hospital on August 4.A third person, a 70-year-old Korumburra man, passed away in hospital on August 5.
‘A 69-year-old Korumburra man was released from hospital on 23 September.
‘A 49-year-old Leongatha woman was arrested at her home address shortly after 8am on November 2.
‘A search warrant has been executed at the Gibson Street address, with assistance from the AFP’s technology detector dogs.
‘The woman will now be interviewed by police and the investigation remains ongoing.’
More to come
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk