Woman Being Investigated After In-Laws Die From A Meal With One Deadly Ingredient
Some people hate their in-laws. Some people hate their in-laws so much they use the world's most poisonous mushroom to kill them at lunch.
According to CNN, Australian Erin Patterson served lunch to her former mother- and father-in-law, as well as her mother-in-law's sister and husband, on July 29. Mere days later, three of the guests wound up dead. One more remains in the hospital in critical condition, awaiting a liver transplant. Patterson reportedly didn't experience any illness from the meal.
Authorities quickly identified Patterson as a suspect. While the toxicology reports have not yet been released, all signs point to death cap mushroom poisoning, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas of the Victoria Police said in a news conference.
So, what is a death cap mushroom? Amanita phalloides is native to Europe and was first seen in Australia in the 1960s. Death cap mushrooms usually grow near trees, often oaks. Back in April, local health authorities in Victoria, Australia, had actually released a warning about the "extremely poisonous" mushrooms. People who eat one can have symptoms like violent stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea—which Patterson's in-laws reportedly experienced. The death cap's toxins cannot be destroyed by boiling, cooking, freezing, or drying, CNN reported, and ingesting a small portion can be deadly.
While the police did not confirm that the mushrooms were found in the suspect's home, local media did suggest that a dehydrator was taken in for testing.
"Obviously a lot of the items that we have seized will be forensically tested in the hope that can shed some light on what has occurred at the lunch," Thomas said, while also warning the public of the dangerous mushroom. "I do ask people out in the community to think about mushrooms that they may have picked out at paddocks, farms, whatever it might be. Please think about whether you should eat them."
For her part, Patterson has denied all wrongdoing, telling reporters, "I can’t believe that this has happened, and I am so sorry that they have lost their lives. I didn’t do anything. I loved them, and I’m devastated that they’re gone."
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