Erin Patterson arrested over fatal mushroom meal
Erin Patterson has been arrested at her home in Victoria over her potential involvement in the suspicious deaths of three people.
In July, Gail and Don Patterson, the parents of Erin Patterson's ex-husband, and Gail Patterson's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died from mushroom poisoning after attending a lunch hosted by the 49-year-old woman.
Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson also attended the lunch and was critically ill, but recovered.
All four had shared a meal, understood to be a beef Wellington, allegedly cooked by Patterson.
Patterson was arrested early on Thursday morning, with AFP conducting a search of her home shortly after her arrest with technology detector dogs in tow.
Veteran crime journalist John Silvester, of The Age newspaper, told Today Extra on Thursday that the dogs were a sophisticated police tool that can detect electronic devices.
"These dogs are absolutely amazing and they can sniff out and have sniffed out a SIM card that was hidden in a bowl of garlic," he said.
"They are there for a purpose. This is not speculation. They will be there looking for something like a mobile phone, a SIM card, or a memory disk."
Police said Patterson will now be interviewed and the investigation remains ongoing, as no charges have officially been laid.
Erin Patterson has always maintained she did not intentionally poison her guests, telling reporters at the time of their deaths that she was "devastated" by the loss of her relatives.
"I didn't do anything, I loved them," she said.
Image credits: A Current Affair