olice in Australia are investigating after three folks died in a suspected “mushroom poisoning” and a fourth was left preventing for his or her life.

Couple Don and Gail Patterson and her sister Heather Wilkinson died from signs in step with loss of life cap mushroom poisoning after consuming lunch within the small Australian city of Leongatha, a two-hour drive south-east of Melbourne.

But in a case that has gripped the nation, the 48-year-old relative who cooked the meal stated she had no concept what occurred, and that she would by no means damage her household, reported the BBC.

She is being handled as a suspect, however police have burdened they're protecting an open thoughts.

A fourth particular person, Heather Wilkinson’s husband Ian, is at the moment in a essential situation after consuming the meal, based on native media stories.

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The case unfolded when Gail, 70, and Don Patterson, 70, stopped for lunch with their grandchildren at their daughter-in-law’s house, alongside the Wilkinsons - Gail’s sister, Heather, 66, and husband Ian.

Hours after the meal, all 4 company took themselves to hospital with a medical criticism, earlier than dying of what police imagine to be attributable to consuming toxic mushrooms.

Officers say the girl who served the meal was not taken ailing, nor have been her two kids, however stated it's not clear whether or not she ate the identical meals as her company.

Speaking to reporters, Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas instructed a press convention the girl was a suspect as a result of “she cooked those meals,” however stated it was a “complex case”.

"At this cut-off date, the deaths are unexplained,” he stated in feedback reported by Australian media. “It could be very innocent, but we just don’t know."

The families paid tribute to their loved ones in a statement published in the local South Gippsland Sentinel Times.

“They were parents, grandparents, siblings, children and pillars of faith within our community,” learn the assertion.

“Their love, steadfast faith, and selfless service have left an indelible mark on our families, the Korumburra Baptist Church, the local community, and indeed, people around the globe.”