2023-08-15 11:03:00
(CNN) — The woman at the center of a suspected mushroom poisoning case that killed three people in Australia claims she bought the ingredients from two separate shops, according to a statement she gave to police. quoted by the public channel ABC.
Erin Patterson, 48, said she wants to “clarify the record” because she is “extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the death” of loved ones, she said in a statement to police quoted by ABC on Monday.
Patterson served a home-cooked meal to her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, who were invited to her home in the rural town of Leongatha on July 29, according to police. of Victoria.
Among the four family members who went to lunch, three of them died with symptoms of “mushrooms of death” poisoning, police said during a press conference last week. Another of them remains in critical condition at the hospital.
The Victoria Police Homicide Squad, which is investigating the case, urged people to stay away from wild mushrooms and eat only those available in supermarkets while they tried to work out the details of the case.
But Patterson says he bought the dried mushrooms from an Asian store in Melbourne months ago and mushrooms from a supermarket chain more recently.
She said both sets of mushrooms were used in a beef Wellington she cooked and served at the family lunch, ABC reported citing Patterson’s statement.
“I hope this statement can help in some way. I think if people understood the background more, they wouldn’t be quick to judge,” Patterson said in the report.
“I am now devastated to think that these fungi may have contributed to the illness my loved ones are suffering from. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people that I loved.”
Patterson has not been arrested or charged in the deaths.
In a tearful exchange with local media outside his home last week, Patterson previously denied any wrongdoing.
The Reverend Ian Wilkinson remains seriously ill in hospital following the death of his wife, Heather. (Credit: Australian Salvation Army Museum/Facebook)
Patterson’s full statement to Victoria Police has not been made public. It was later also obtained by The Age newspaper, which published a report that matched the ABC reports.
Victoria Police declined to comment on the statement.
“There are no further updates on the investigation, and we will not be commenting on specific parts at this stage,” police told CNN on Tuesday.
Beef Wellington is a baked dish that involves coating a long cut of tenderloin in batter with a pate or mushroom filling.
In their initial report last week, police said Patterson’s two children were present at the family lunch in late July but did not eat.
However, according to ABC reports, Patterson’s statement said the sons were at the movies. The next night she served the leftovers, but she took the mushrooms away from the kids because they don’t like them.
Police said they searched Patterson’s home on Saturday and seized several items for forensic testing. Police say they are keeping an open mind regarding what happened and that the investigation is ongoing.
— CNN’s Hilary Whiteman contributed reporting.
1692103438
#woman #center #death #mushroom #poisoning #case #bought #grocery #store #supermarket
