The woman at the centre of a suspected mushroom poisoning that left three people dead and a fourth fighting for his life after a family lunch has been arrested by Victorian police.
Erin Patterson was arrested this morning and her home is being searched, but no charges have been laid.
Here’s how the fatal mushroom saga has unfolded over the past three months:
July 29
Erin Patterson cooks beef Wellington for a lunch for her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, 70, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband Ian, 68.
She claims her two children went to the movies at the time of the lunch.
July 30
Erin Patterson claims her children ate the leftover beef Wellington but scraped off the mushrooms because "they don't like them".
All four of her guests are admitted into hospital with suspected gastro. Erin Patterson goes to Leongatha Hospital with reported stomach pains and diarrhoea.
July 31
Officials confirm Erin Patterson has been transported to the Monash Medical Centre where she is treated with a liver drug.
August 4
Four people were taken to hospital a day after eating at a home in Leongatha, in Victoria's South Gippsland area - three of them died and the fourth is fighting for life. (Source: 1News)
Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson both die in hospital, and an investigation is launched by Victoria Police.
Officers conduct a search at a local tip near Erin Patterson’s home and find her food dehydrator.
August 5
Don Patterson dies in hospital and homicide detectives conduct a search of Erin Patterson’s home. Their symptoms are consistent with consuming deadly death cap mushrooms. The mushroom is responsible for 90 per cent of all deaths related to mushroom consumption. All parts of the fungus are poisonous and even eating a small amount can be fatal.
Erin Patterson later tells reporters she is "devastated" by the loss of her relatives.
"I didn't do anything, I loved them," she said.
Ian Wilkinson remains the sole survivor of the lunch fighting for his life in an induced coma in hospital.
August 9
Investigators put out a request for CCTV footage relating to the case and start door knocking neighbours for information. They also return to the tip to conduct further searches.
August 14
Police confirm Erin Patterson supplied investigators with a statement about her version of events on July 29, after earlier offering a "no comment" reply to their questions.
In the statement, she claims she bought button mushrooms from a major supermarket and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer. She claims the mushrooms were used in a beef Wellington which was served and her guests "chose their own plates".
She also claims her two children had decided to go to the movies during the meal but had leftovers the next day without the mushrooms, which she says they scraped off. It is later revealed the statement was not signed.
August 31
Don and Gail Patterson are farewelled at Korumburra Memorial Hall. Hundreds of people attend including Simon, the son of Gail and Don Patterson and Erin Patterson’s ex-husband.
During the farewell, he reveals his parents' final moments.
"It was no fluke that mum’s final text message on our family group chat as she lay in Dandenong Hospital was: 'Lots of love to you all'.
"As mum and dad lay in comas in the hospital in their final days and each day we were unsure if they would recover or not, it was comforting to know that when we said 'see you later', we knew it was true.
"The only thing we didn't know was when. In the meantime, we'll miss them."
He later revealed his father had received an emergency liver transplant but "sadly, the rest of his body was already too sick to go on past that point".
September 23
Ian Wilkinson, a Baptist pastor in the small South Gippsland town of Korrumburra, is released from Melbourne's Austin Hospital, two months after he became critically ill at the family lunch.
His family release a statement thanking the community for their support. "We are pleased to announce that Ian Wilkinson has made significant progress in his recovery and was released from Austin Hospital on Friday," the family said.
"This milestone marks a moment of immense relief and gratitude for Ian and the entire Wilkinson family.
"The Wilkinson family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Leongatha, Dandenong and Austin Hospitals for their unwavering dedication and exceptional care that played a pivotal role in Ian's recovery."
October 4
A frail-looking Ian Wilkinson makes his first public appearance at a service with hundreds of other mourners to farewell his wife, Heather.
The former teacher and community volunteer is described as "the kind of person to leave a permanent mark on your heart".
November 2
Victoria Police arrest Erin Patterson and take her to Wonthaggi Police Station for questioning.
"A 49-year-old Leongatha woman was arrested at her home address shortly after 8am on 2 November," police said.
"A search warrant has been executed at the Gibson St address, with assistance from the AFP’s [Australian Federal Police’s] technology detector dogs."
The dogs specifically search for items such as USBs and SIM cards.
No charges have been laid.
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