Three dead after woman served breakfast with poisonous mushrooms

a regional community in the east victory (Australia) in mourning after three people died after eating poisonous wild mushrooms while having lunch with friends.

A fourth person, the Reverend Ian Wilkinson, pastor of Columbula Baptist Church in Victoria’s Gippsland region, is fighting for his life in hospital after eating mushrooms with them.

Homicide Squad is investigating the poisoning.

South Gippsland mayor Nathan Hussey told TODAY the small community was supporting each other in grief, wishing the best for their pastor and wanting to see a “truly shocking situation”. . “We’ve had a major loss to the Columbula community this week,” he said.

“Many in our community are grieving the loss of three very important, very loved and highly respected individuals”He added.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson’s wife, Heather, a local teacher; her sister, Gail Patterson; and her husband, Don Patterson, at lunch with friends, according to police died after eating poisonous wild mushrooms.

They went to dinner and got sick the next day and went to the hospital thinking it was gastroenteritis but it got worse.

Wilkinson, 66, and his sister Gail, 70, died within the week and Patterson died Saturday night.

Wilkinson and another friend remain in the hospital, and the other lunch guests have been discharged.

Detectives questioned a 48-year-old local woman after homicide squad raided a home in Leongatha on Saturday. She has since been released pending further investigation.

Mushroom expert Teresa Lebel explained that some mushrooms can be deadly and warned people not to go out and pick them. “It’s basically what could happen with Russian roulette,” the mycologist said.