A bizarre and coincidental detail in a local newsletter published by two of the suspected mushroom poisoning victims has emerged, as police continue to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Gail and Don Patterson died after eating a meal, reported to be a beef wellington pie, on July 29 that police believe may have included death cap mushrooms.
Their deaths came after they were served lunch by 48-year-old Erin Patterson, who is the ex-wife of their son Simon Patterson, at her home in Leongatha, two hours’ southeast of Melbourne.
Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson also died following the meal, with her husband Ian gravely ill and needing a liver transplant.
Neither Ms Patterson nor her two children that she shares with Simon became ill after the lunch.
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Police are investigating the deaths, with Ms Paterson denying any wrongdoing and authorities cautioning that the incident could be “very innocent”.
As the investigation continues, a local newsletter with a coincidental detail has come to light. It was previously run by Gail and Don, before being taken over by Ms Patterson.
The couple took over the The Burra Flyer newsletter in March 2013 and published their last edition in February 2018.
The front page was often adorned with photos taken by their son Simon, with the June-August 2016 issue standing out.
The front page photo showed a group of red toadstools on a nature strip, which was taken by Simon.
Ms Patterson became the editor of the publication in March 2018, praising her in-laws as “extraordinarily generous” and thanking them for their support.
“Thank you to Don & Gail Patterson, the Flyer’s previous editors, for the enormous time and energy that they put into keeping the Burra Flyer going for the past five years,” Ms Patterson wrote in the March-May 2018 edition of the newsletter.
“They are extraordinarily generous with their time and I am grateful for the support they have given to John and I to ensure a smooth changeover.
“Thank you to the contributors and advertisers for their patience while we have been learning the ropes. I hope we can do the Burra Flyer the justice that it deserves.”
Reason for deadly lunch as investigations continue
The mum-of-two appeared to edit the newsletter for two years and in that time often included photos taken by Simon, with multiple pictures showing their two children enjoying various activities around the local area.
This comes as new information revealed the real reason Ms Patterson invited her ex-husband’s family to lunch was in an effort to try and negotiate a reconciliation with the father of her children, according to the Daily Mail.
Simon was also invited but pulled out at the last minute, a close friend of Simon’s told the publication.
“They went to her house for a mediation to talk to the family. Simon was supposed to go there for lunch but he pulled out in the last minute otherwise he would be in that death bed too,” the friend said, adding that Simon was not interested in getting back with his ex.
The friend claimed that Simon’s family was worried about Ms Patterson’s “mental state” so they accepted the lunch invitation to “make sure she was in the right mental health to resume a relationship with Simon”.
“This wasn’t just a lunch, it was an intervention with the pastor as mediator. That’s why this lunch happened,” the friend said.
A dehydrator found dumped at a local tip is being forensically analysed as part of police investigations to see whether it is related to the tragic deaths.
Ms Patterson’s home was searched over the weekend and she was interviewed by police.
According to 7News, she initially told police during her interview that she picked up the mushrooms from a local shop in the Leongatha area.
She has maintained her innocence, previously saying that she “loved” her in-laws with Gail being like a mother to her.
Ex ‘almost died’ of mystery illness
An unearthed social media post from Simon has revealed the father “almost died” last year when he came down with a sudden gut illness.
In the post, first reported by the Herald Sun, Simon revealed he had to be put into an induced coma and his family were told to “say goodbye” on two separate occasions.
“I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation,” he wrote.
“My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live.
“I was in intensive care for 21 days, after which I was in the general ward for a week, and now I’m at a rehab place since last Saturday.”
Mr Patterson said the “serious gut problems” had seemed to be fixed but had an “ICU acquired weakness” due to lying in intensive care for so long.
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“I can walk and do all the normal daily functions myself, however my left shoulder in particular is very weak,” he wrote.
“I’m expected to make a full recovery so I’m back to the same capacity I had before I collapsed.”
In the social media post he mentioned Ms Patterson and his children were on their way to visit him. The couple are now separated but reports claim they remained “amicable”.
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