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Original poster

The mushroom poisoning in Vic.... I am gripped

989 replies

Dustyblue · 09/08/2023 04:58

This has been all over the news. I live one town over from Leongatha and believe me, it's the talk of the towns.

We have loads of mushrooms around our place but wouldn't dream of eating them. About 90% of foraged mushrooms in Australia are poisonous.

Then again, you do get groups of people who think they know what they're doing, and perhaps they do.

Meanwhile this is suss-as.

Three people died from suspected mushroom poisoning after sharing a meal. Here's what we know - ABC News

Three dead and another fighting for life: What we know so far about suspected mushroom poisonings in Victoria

Police continue to investigate three suspected mushroom poisoning deaths after a family lunch last month in Leongatha in Victoria's east. Detectives have not laid any charges, but say the woman who served the meal remains a suspect. Here's what we know...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-09/poisonous-mushroom-deaths-victoria-leongatha-explainer/102703430

OP posts:
Thread gallery
42
RoseBucket · 09/08/2023 08:18

*killed

35965a · 09/08/2023 08:20

JanieEyre · 09/08/2023 08:16

The thing is, if you want to kill people, would you really choose to do it by inviting them round to a meal where they all eat something poisonous and you don't? Surely it's guaranteed to bring suspicion straight down on you?

Some people really aren’t that bright though. They just don’t think or care about being caught.

Either way this case is fascinating and really sad.

Haffdonga · 09/08/2023 08:25

I'm sure she didn't say anything about what she cooked because she has been strongly advised by her lawyers not to say a thing especially to the media.

Janieforever · 09/08/2023 08:26

JanieEyre · 09/08/2023 08:16

The thing is, if you want to kill people, would you really choose to do it by inviting them round to a meal where they all eat something poisonous and you don't? Surely it's guaranteed to bring suspicion straight down on you?

It could be the perfect crime though if it went well, as death is not immediate. It’s not like you eat them and pass out ten mins later,

You get first symptoms like normal food poisoning and then they resolve and you then get worse and die. It can take up to two weeks. So arguably you could then have ingested them anywhere, and hard to prove where you ate them.

It seems in this case they ate so much it was clearly linked, as they got sick fast then immediately worsened. So could only have been at that house and the fact it was all of them and not just one person.

its not always fatal, depends on how much you eat. But the symptoms are similar to what the ex husband suffered a year ago, inc falling into a coma for those who evade death.

RoseBucket · 09/08/2023 08:30

Is this an article from her newsletter/paper Burra Flyer

The mushroom poisoning in Vic.... I am gripped
ClairDeLaLune · 09/08/2023 08:34

Xrays · 09/08/2023 08:11

I’ve been fascinated by this. I can’t understand why anyone would be so daft as to pick and eat wild mushrooms 😳 so dangerous!

I am not entirely sure it’s a sign of her guilt that she and the dc didn’t eat the same meal. My dh absolutely HATES mushrooms, literally cannot stand them, even if cooked a meal and then he or I picked them out he still wouldn’t eat the meal so I’d have to do something completely separate for him. I’ve actually met quite a lot of people that feel that way about mushrooms so I don’t think it’s that uncommon.

All very odd.

But would you make a meal for guests that you’re not going to eat yourself? Surely with such a small gathering all the adults would eat the same meal…

PriamFarrl · 09/08/2023 08:34

This is really interesting, and had made the news in the U.K. It’s so hard. You don’t want to accuse someone with no reason but it does seem very suspicious.

thatone · 09/08/2023 08:35

It looks so suspicious.

I'm guessing it must be common knowledge over there for long term residents that mushrooms can be poisonous. The video will be analysed by experts but the lack of eye contact, the mistake with the man who is still alive, her over-justifying that she loved them....and then the fact that she and her children are ok.

Very sad. At least the ex-husband is still alive and might be able to shed light on some things.

Motnight · 09/08/2023 08:36

This is fascinating.

RainySummerDays · 09/08/2023 08:37

So she didn’t eat the meal herself?

BarbaraV · 09/08/2023 08:38

Now I'm not an expert homicide detective but the fact that she took the dehumidifier to the tip is ringing alarm bells.

KatharinaRosalie · 09/08/2023 08:38

I love foraging for muchrooms and spend all autumn in the forest, but you only ever pick and eat mushrooms you 100% know.

For the poster who asked about death caps - no, they are not that distinctive and you can mix them up with edible species if you're not careful.

echt · 09/08/2023 08:39

BarbaraV · 09/08/2023 08:38

Now I'm not an expert homicide detective but the fact that she took the dehumidifier to the tip is ringing alarm bells.

Do we know she did this? If she did, then why are the police asking for CCTV form the tip site?

Janieforever · 09/08/2023 08:40

RainySummerDays · 09/08/2023 08:37

So she didn’t eat the meal herself?

Nope. Or her kids. Just her guests.

Missingthegore · 09/08/2023 08:40

I know it is not death cap season but with the weird weather this winter it could be mistaken for autumn (and mushrooms don't have a calendar), very mild days and dry with cool nights.

I used to manage a liver unit so saw lots of mushroom poisonings to the point of transplant so would never go mushroom picking without an expert but LOVE mushrooms

RainySummerDays · 09/08/2023 08:41

Well that’s jail time a-coming

Wheresthebloomingsummersunshine · 09/08/2023 08:46

Straight from an Agatha Christie novel surely?

MermaidMummy06 · 09/08/2023 08:47

I don't know if it's deliberate. But the accidental poisoning still happens.

My DM used to pick wild mushrooms from childhood, for cooking. There were very remote & poor & it was a lovely treat. Just once, she picked the wrong ones & made my father extremely ill. She never picked mushrooms again. It comes up as a joke occasionally and I can see the horror and embarrassment in her face.

So it happens!

dottiedodah · 09/08/2023 08:47

Seems strange to me.Surely the fact that all 4 of her guests ate the mushrooms and she and her children didnt? Very sad all round .I think she has a lot of questions to answer though

Original poster
Dustyblue · 09/08/2023 08:48

@RoseBucket Hi, I've asked for your post to be deleted. The business you mention is legitimate and likely nothing to do with this. Thanks.

OP posts:
GuinnessBird · 09/08/2023 08:49

I'm on the fence but either way, she has some very difficult questions to answer.

FelicityBeedle · 09/08/2023 08:50

I don’t think the fact the ex was hospitalised last year suggests mushrooms, that wouldn’t cause bowel to be removed afaik, mushrooms normally kill your liver and kidneys. Removed bowel normally means the bowel is dead or very inflamed, like in crohns or an obstruction.

Xrays · 09/08/2023 08:53

ClairDeLaLune · 09/08/2023 08:34

But would you make a meal for guests that you’re not going to eat yourself? Surely with such a small gathering all the adults would eat the same meal…

Show quote history

I mean I make 2/3 different meals every night just for the 4 of us as no one in our family likes / eats the same thing so I can’t see why not… (ds has autism and has food aversions and dh, dd and I like totally different things). If she knew they all really loved mushrooms - and she and the dc don’t- maybe she thought she was making an extra special effort for them? Who knows, I’m just trying to be kind here!

Neodymium · 09/08/2023 08:53

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 09/08/2023 08:07

Gosh, I'd not heard about this in the UK, I don't eat mushrooms, DP does, and picks field mushrooms (UK). I hate it, really really worries me. His friend made a mistake and nearly killed himself with mushrooms a couple of years ago. I've asked DP to stop now as it just worries me too much. It's not worth it.

Does anyone know about death caps, is there something edible that's easy to mistake death caps for, or are they one of the deadly and obvious ones?

I heard a little while ago that the author of the Horse Whisperer nearly killed himself and family with mushrooms, he's interviewed about it here https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/nicholas-evans-poisonous-mistake

I just watched that interview by her car, it was, umm. Interesting.

Picking mushrooms to eat isn’t really a thing in Australia I’d say the vast majority of mushrooms here would be poisonous. I can remember as a child reading Enid blyton books where the kids would go picking mushrooms and I thought it was weird cause it’s drilled into kids never to pick or eat mushrooms.

maybe down In Victoria it’s different (I live in another state) but I doubt it. It’s not something that people generally do.

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