Arrest Made in Alleged Cases of Mushroom Poisoning Resulting in Deaths in Australia

An Australian woman has been arrested in connection with the suspected poisoning deaths of three people who became ill after attending a family lunch in the town of Leongatha in Victoria. One other person was in critical condition and taken to the hospital. The woman, identified as Erin Patterson, was taken into custody but has not been charged with any crime. She asserts her innocence and denies any involvement in the deaths. The police have indicated that they will be interviewing her and have already searched her home with a warrant. The victims were Gail and Don Patterson, who are the parents of Erin's ex-husband, as well as Heather and Ian Wilkinson, Gail's sister and brother-in-law. They all experienced severe illness and were hospitalized on July 30. Sadly, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70 years old, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, passed away. However, Ian Wilkinson, 68, eventually recovered. Erin Patterson has maintained her innocence, stating that she herself was also hospitalized after the meal due to stomach pain. She claims that she used a combination of store-bought button mushrooms and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store that she had purchased months earlier to make a beef wellington pie.