Fungi are forever making news these days, but rarely are the headlines as sensational as they are at this very moment. A mysterious case involving the fatal poisoning of three people, with a fourth in the hospital, is making the front pages of newspapers internationally and gripping the public imagination. The culprit is alleged to be deadly death cap mushrooms, but it’s how, exactly, they found themselves on the plates of the deceased that has the whole world buzzing.

To recap: an Australian woman by the name of Erin Patterson invited her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, over for lunch, along with Gail’s sister and her husband, a pastor. The group was fed a meal prepared by their hostess consisting of beef wellington, a pastry dish made with mushrooms. Later that night, all four guests fell ill, and three have since died. Only the pastor remains alive, though he is currently listed in critical condition. 

Patterson says she used two types of mushrooms in her dish: button mushrooms from a grocery store and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer. She also claims that she, too, fell ill and was briefly hospitalized. In a statement to police, she further alleges that she fed her children leftover beef wellington the next day, but that she scraped off the 'shrooms first because the kids aren’t fond of fungi. Both children remain in good health. 

However, not everyone is buying her story, and there are reasons for suspicion. A friend of the family told the media that Patterson is a highly experienced mushroom forager, which isn’t abnormal for the area, but also doesn’t bolster her claims of innocence. Patterson’s ex-husband also alleges she tried to poison him last year. And most damning is the fact that Patterson disposed of a food dehydrator after the deaths of her in-laws and then lied to police about it. She also reportedly has a “death wall” in her home consisting of children’s drawings of tombstones alongside a note reading, “You don’t have long to live.” One tombstone appears to read, “Grandma R.I.P.,” which is especially eerie given that Patterson’s children’s grandmother passed away from the poisoning. 

But macabre sketches don’t prove guilt, and Patterson has yet to be charged with any crime. She maintains her innocence and says she only disposed of the food dehydrator because she panicked as accusations of foul play began. While that doesn’t necessarily sound like the action of an individual with a clear conscience, only time will tell if she’s truly a mushroom murderess or just an accidentally fatal hostess. We’ll be staying on top of all updates, and in the meantime, we may decline any invites from vengeful mushroom foraging family members, just to be safe.