THE ex-husband of a mum who allegedly served a poisonous mushroom lunch killing three people has claimed she tried to poison him last year.
Erin Patterson, 48, invited Gail and Don Patterson, her former in-laws, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian to her home in Leongatha, Australia.
Simon Patterson allegedly told friends his ex-wife tried to poison him last year
Erin Patterson allegedly served a poisonous mushroom to his family on July 29
Heather Wilkinson (left) died after the lunch while her husband, Ian, is fighting for his life
After eating the meal – which allegedly included poisonous mushrooms – the guests became violently ill and Gail, 70, Heather, 66, and Don, 70, later died.
Ian, a pastor, remains in hospital in a critical condition, awaiting a liver transplant.
Now it’s been revealed that her ex-husband Simon Patterson almost died from a mystery gut illness last year.
He reportedly “suspected” Erin had tried to poison him through an “ingested toxin”, a pal has claimed.
The family friend told the Herald Sun: “Simon suspected he had been poisoned by Erin.
“There were times he had felt … a bit off and it often coincided when he spent time with her.”
Simon revealed that he almost died in May last year from a mystery illness.
He said he collapsed at home and was placed into an induced coma.
In a social media post, Simon wrote: “I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation.
“My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live.
“I was in intensive care for 21 days…”
It comes as homicide detectives have confirmed Erin is a suspect in the case.
Officers have seized a number of items – including a food dehydrator from a tip, believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms.
Investigators are still unsure whether she also ate the meal – but cops confirmed a different lunch was served to her two children.
It’s understood cops are seeking to review CCTV footage from the tip where the food dehydrator was found to see which vehicles entered the site.
A police source told The Age that cops are conducting forensic tests on the dehydrator in the hope it could hold key clues to finding out what happened.
Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said: “We have to keep an open mind in relation to this, that it could be very innocent but again we just don’t know at this point.”
“We will be working closely with medical experts, toxicologists… in the hope we can understand exactly what has gone on and provide some answers to the family,” Thomas added.
“We’re trying to understand who ate what at the lunch, whether that person that did not become ill did or did not eat the mushrooms…
“And of course, we’re trying to ascertain what it is that has actually caused the poisoning to the four people that attended.”
Erin has denied any wrongdoing and no charges are expected.
Gail Patterson, Erin’s former mother-in-law, died after eating the meal at Erin’s home
Don Patterson also died
Lethal death cap mushrooms grow wild in the lush forests around Leongatha