A survivor of a deadly mushroom poisoning in Australia has been released from hospital two months after his wife and two relatives were killed.
Ian Wilkinson has recovered from the incident and is now able to tell police what happened at the fatal family lunch.
Erin Patterson served up the beef wellington suspected of containing the “death cap” mushrooms, but insists she did not intend to harm her guests.
Wilkinson was rushed to hospital and was not expected to survive the toxins, which damaged his liver and kidneys.
Police believe that the victims may have eaten death cap mushrooms – which are some of the most poisonous in the worldWikimedia CommonsAfter eating the meal cooked by Patterson, Wilkinson's wife Heather, her sister Gail Patterson and brother-in-law Don Patterson died.
Death caps are responsible for about 90 per cent of mushroom-related deaths worldwide.
On July 29, Patterson invited the four family members to her home in Leongatha, in south-east Victoria after the family tried to remain friendly following her separation from husband Simon.
But when police searched a rubbish tip, they found a food dehydrator belonging to Patterson.
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Initially, she told Victoria police that she had gotten rid of the dehydrator a “long time ago” but she now revealed that she chucked it after the guests fell ill.
She said she did so in a panic as she was worried that she might lose custody of her children after her estranged husband asked if she had used the dehydrator to “poison” his parents.
The Mum reportedly said she had bought button mushrooms from a local supermarket, along with dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery in Melbourne.
Patterson claims she also had become ill after the meal and the hospital confirmed a fifth patient had presented symptoms of food poisoning.
Mushroom poisoning chef's home was fitted with a 'disturbing death wall'It comes after a tradesman claimed he was paid to remove disturbing graffiti from the interior of Patterson’s former home and ahead of her fatal banquet.
The 48, sold the Korumburra house for $545,000 after her split and relocated to nearby Leongatha.
Images of the graffiti on the walls showed grave stones and death-themed scribbles.
