Mushroom poison victims ‘sickest patients in state’

Doctor says fatal organ failures pointed to powerful toxin

- SHWETA SHARMA

The doctor who led the fight to save Erin Patterson's mushroom poisoning victims described the horrifying effects of the toxins that alarmed his team and raised suspicions that they were dealing with a killer.

Dr Stephen Warrillow, director of intensive care at Austin Health in Victoria, Australia, said the four patients who had eaten the beef wellington dish cooked by Patterson were among the sickest he had ever seen.

Patterson, 50, was found guilty this week of murdering her former husband’s parents, Gail and Donald Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian.

Patterson had invited them for a meal at her home in Morwell, Victoria, on 29 July 2023 and served them beef wellington containing toxic mushrooms. They fell sick shortly afterwards and died, except Ian, who survived after a period in hospital.

She had also invited her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, to the lunch, but he cancelled the day before because he was feeling too “uncomfortable” amid rising tensions between them.

Dr Warrillow described to the ABC how each of the four guests spiralled into multi-organ failure despite the best efforts of his team.