The true story behind CNN’s Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders

In Leongatha, Victoria, Australia, a family lunch on July 29, 2023, Erin Patterson, a 50-year-old mother, hosted her estranged husband's relatives for a meal of beef Wellington topped with foraged mushrooms.

Hours later, the guests, Don and Gail Patterson, along with Heather and Ian Wilkinson, fell gravely ill with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and organ failure. 

Three of them died within days, while Ian survived for weeks in a coma. Authorities alleged Patterson deliberately added toxic death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) to the dish, leading to charges of three murders and one attempted murder.

The case drew global attention for its mix of family tensions, foraging mishaps, and courtroom revelations.

The three-part CNN Original Series Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders explores this tale with exclusive access to investigators, locals, and key figures.

Directed by Gil Marsden, it uncovers the investigation's twists and the media storm that followed. The series premiered on December 19, 2025, on CNN. 

Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders: The invitation and the fatal meal

Erin Patterson invited her estranged husband Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, to her home in Leongatha on July 29, 2023.

The lunch was meant to discuss family matters, including child custody, amid Patterson's recent separation.

She prepared beef Wellington using mushrooms she claimed to have foraged and dried herself. Patterson had purchased a dehydrator in late April 2023, around the time she visited areas like Loch and Outtrim, where death cap mushrooms grow seasonally.

The guests arrived in the afternoon, and the meal was served without immediate suspicion.

Hours after the meal, the four visitors had stomach pain and vomiting. By the time the evening arrived, the four were in the hospital.

However, Patterson joined the others, this time complaining of similar symptoms, though less severe.

At first, she claimed to the authorities that she had scooped the mushrooms off the leftover foods that she served her sons, though they did not fall ill. Eventually, the dehydrator, in which the mushrooms had been processed, had been disposed of at a waste facility two days prior.

Cell phone records placed Patterson in the vicinity of the foraging spots in early 2023, when death cap observations had been detected online, as per CNN.

The hospitalization and tragic losses in Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders 

The guests were rushed to Leongatha Hospital on July 30, 2023, and soon transferred to Melbourne's Austin Hospital for specialized care. Don, Gail, Heather, and Ian suffered from acute gastrointestinal distress caused by amatoxins in the death caps, leading to liver failure.

Ian, a 71-year-old pastor, was placed in an induced coma for weeks to support his organs. Don received a liver transplant but developed complications.

Patterson was admitted briefly on July 31 but discharged herself against advice before returning on August 1 with reported vomiting.

Tragedy struck quickly. On August 4, Gail, 70, and Heather, 66, succumbed to multiple organ failure. Don followed the next day at age 70, despite the transplant. Ian gradually recovered and was discharged in September 2023, becoming the sole survivor.

The deaths left Simon Patterson grieving his parents and aunt, while his children lost their grandparents. Medical tests confirmed death cap poisoning in the victims through toxin traces and symptoms matching the fungus's profile.

Patterson's own hospital stay raised questions, as initial checks showed no amatoxins in her system on July 31, according to CNN..

The investigation unravels

Immediately after the hospitalizations, police began investigating, with the lunchtime meal's ingredients a focal point. Investigators found signs of death cap mushrooms in Patterson's kitchen, and in the dehydrator she had thrown away, which she admitted purchasing, though her claim was that it was for general use.

The officers noted inconsistencies in her account: she reset her phone to delete mushroom photos and gave different versions about how she received the fungi, first claiming it came from stores and then saying she had picked it wild since 2020.

Investigators reviewed Facebook messages revealing family disputes, including Patterson's frustrations with the Pattersons over custody and support.

She had scheduled gastric bypass surgery post-incident, but used a fabricated cancer story during lunch to gain sympathy.

Cell tower pings linked her to foraging spots in April and May 2023, aligning with iNaturalist app reports of death caps there. No evidence showed that the guests or others were handling the toxic mushrooms.

In November 2023, Patterson was arrested and charged with three murders and one attempted murder. She denied intent, suggesting an accidental mix-up of dried mushrooms in her pantry, as reported by CNN. 

Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders: The trial, verdict, and sentencing 

The trial began in April 2025 at Victoria's Supreme Court, lasting 10 weeks with witness testimonies from doctors, toxicologists, and family.

Prosecutors argued Patterson foraged, dried, and hid the death caps in the beef Wellington to target her in-laws, citing her lies and device reset as guilt indicators.

Defense countered that it was a foraging error, with no clear motive given her stable life and victim ties. On July 7, 2025, the jury convicted Patterson on all counts after deliberating.

Justice Christopher Beale sentenced her on September 8 to three concurrent life terms for the murders, plus 25 years for attempted murder, with a 33-year non-parole period.

He described the acts as premeditated betrayal, causing immense family pain, rejecting a no-parole life bid due to her likely prison isolation.

Ian Wilkinson expressed forgiveness publicly. Patterson has until October 6, 2025, to appeal, according to CNN. 

Watch Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders available on CNN.