TOXIC

Homicide Detectives Probe 3 Mushroom Poisoning Deaths

A fourth person who ate the same meal is also seriously ill.

Homicide detectives are investigating a case in Australia in which three people died after eating poisonous mushrooms, according to reports. The victims all ate the same meal in Leongatha in the southeastern state of Australia on July 29. Ian and Heather Wilkinson, as well as Heather’s sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Don Patterson, were all rushed to the hospital as their condition deteriorated. Ian Wilkinson is the only member of the group to survive, but he is still receiving treatment for his serious illness. Local media reports that the group were dining at the home of Erin Patterson, Gail and Don’s daughter-in-law, when the mushrooms were served. “I would like to say that because the Homicide Squad is investigating this matter, it doesn’t automatically mean that the deaths are suspicious,” Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told 9 News. He added that the victims’ symptoms were consistent with those seen following the consumption of death caps—which medical authorities say begin with nausea and vomiting before liver and kidney damage set in.