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Detectives are painstakingly tearing apart Erin Patterson’s home after she was arrested over the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the deaths of three people.
Patterson was arrested at her home in Leongatha, in eastern Victoria, about 8am on Thursday. No charges have been filed.
Heather Wilkinson, 66, her sister Gail Patterson and her husband Don Patterson, both 70, all died in August, days after eating a beef Wellington cooked by Mrs Patterson.
The Pattersons were the parents of Mrs. Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon.
Mrs Wilkinson’s husband, Baptist church minister Ian Wilkinson, 68, was the only survivor but was left seriously ill and spent almost two months in hospital.
A specialist police team of investigators are currently searching Ms Patterson’s home, where the fatal family lunch took place on July 29.
Forensic experts were spotted rummaging through a busy garage at the home and searching the interior of her red MG ZS SUV in the property’s driveway.
Detectives have also deployed specially trained ‘technology sniffer dogs’ – which can detect USB memory keys and SIM cards – to help search the property.
READ MORE: Arrest of Erin Patterson LIVE: Photos Show Police Searching for Key Item at Mushroom Chef’s Home
Police have arrested Erin Patterson, the woman at the center of the investigation into the poisonous mushroom meal that led to the deaths of three people in Gippsland, eastern Victoria.
Detectives have deployed specially trained ‘technology sniffer dogs’ – which can sniff out USB memory keys and SIM cards – to search the property
Detectives were able to search Erin Patterson’s car (pictured) during the search of her property on Thursday
On Thursday morning, police were also able to search the overflowing contents of the garage next to the house
The technological sniffer dogs have been provided by the Australian Federal Police, who say they can find memory storage devices
The technology sniffer dogs have been provided by the Australian Federal Police, who say they can find memory storage devices such as USBs, hard drives, mobile phones, storage device cards and SIM cards.
Considered the most elite of all sniffer dogs, the dogs are capable of detecting the micron-thin coating that protects computer circuit boards.
Their noses are so sensitive that they can detect small SIM cards or memory cards hidden in walls or even hidden in fruit.
The dogs were seen exploring various locations in the house, closely inspecting a couch on the back deck of the house.
Mrs. Patterson’s car was also thoroughly searched several times by detectives and sniffer dogs.
Five cars, including Ms. Patterson’s, were parked in her driveway Thursday morning. Ms. Patterson’s empty bins were left outside her property.
Her arrest comes after Pastor Wilkinson reportedly assisted homicide detectives with the investigation following his release from hospital on September 23.
Police believe the symptoms the four guests experienced were consistent with the effects of eating deathcap mushrooms.
“Today’s arrest is just the next step in a complex and thorough investigation by homicide detectives, and an investigation that is not over,” said Detective Dean Thomas.
“Once the search is complete, the woman will be interviewed by homicide investigators. We will provide updates throughout the day.”
“Over the past three months, this investigation has been subject to incredibly intense public scrutiny and curiosity.
“I can’t think of any other investigation that has created this level of public interest, not just here in Victoria but nationally and internationally.”
He added: “Please bear in mind that at the heart of this, three people have lost their lives.
“These are three people who were, by all accounts, deeply loved in their communities, and they are deeply missed by their loved ones.”
The dogs were seen exploring various locations in the house, closely inspecting a sofa on the back deck of the house
A sign on the fence at Mrs. Patterson’s home warns visitors about entering the property
A police team of investigators is currently searching her home in Leongatha, where the fatal family lunch took place on July 29
Five cars, including Erin Patterson’s, were parked in her driveway Thursday morning
Ms Patterson became the focus of the police investigation after it emerged she had cooked the meal. She has strongly denied all allegations.
She said she took the last remaining plate and ate a portion, later handing the leftovers to the hospital’s toxicologists for examination.
In the wake of the tragedy, Ms. Patterson spoke of her love for the poisoning victims, especially her in-laws.
“I am devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness of my loved ones,” she said.
“I really want to reiterate that I had absolutely no reason to hurt the people I loved.”
Ms Patterson said she made the amazing lunch using a mixture of mushrooms from a major supermarket chain and dried mushrooms from an Asian supermarket in Melbourne.
In her statement to police, which was leaked to the media, Ms Patterson said she plated the meal and let her guests choose their own.
A drying oven was later dumped at the local landfill because of her concerns that her estranged husband would blame her for the death of his parents and gain custody of their two children, she said.
Deathcap mushrooms contain deadly amatoxin that catastrophically affects a person’s body and essentially “melts a person’s liver,” a medical expert told Daily Mail Australia.
It is so powerful that you don’t even have to eat part of the mushroom for it to be fatal.
Simply consuming the liquid in which the mushrooms are cooked can be enough to kill.
On Thursday morning, Victoria Police confirmed they had made an arrest in the case.
Erin Patterson was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to Wonthaggi police station for questioning. It is believed no charges have been laid at this stage
Heather Wilkinson (left) died after the fatal family meal in Leongatha on July 29. Her husband Ian Wilkinson (right) was the only survivor.
Erin Patterson’s estranged in-laws Don and Gail Patterson both died after the fatal family meal
“Detectives from the Homicide Unit 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 30 after falling ill following a meal at a private home in Leongatha the day before.
“Two Korumburra women, aged 66 and 70, died in hospital on August 4. A third person, a 70-year-old Korumburra man, died in hospital on August 5.
‘A 69-year-old Korumburra man was discharged from hospital on September 23.
‘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 the assistance of the AFP’s technological sniffer dogs.
“The woman is now being questioned by police and the investigation is ongoing.”
Erin Patterson arrested over fatal mushroom lunch that killed three in Gippsland, Victoria