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Three of the four guests who attended a family lunch in a quiet Australian country town died shortly afterward, with symptoms the police said were consistent with mushroom poisoning. The fourth spent nearly two months hospitalized, critically ill.<\/p>\n
The case has gripped the nation and led to intense speculation. The woman who cooked the meal has always strongly maintained her innocence. On Thursday, three months after the lunch in question, police took her into custody for further questioning.<\/p>\n
Erin Patterson, 49, hosted the lunch on July 29, at her home in Leongatha in the state of Victoria. In attendance were Gail and Don Patterson, the parents of her estranged husband, as well as Gail Patterson\u2019s sister, Heather Wilkinson, and brother-in-law, Ian Wilkinson.<\/p>\n
All four guests, who were in their 60s or 70s, fell ill soon after the meal. Mr. Patterson, Ms. Patterson and Ms. Wilkinson all died within a week of the lunch. Mr. Wilkinson <\/span>eventually recovered and was released from the hospital in late September.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Their symptoms, the police said at the time, were consistent with poisoning by death cap mushroom \u2014 one of the deadliest mushroom varieties, which is found in Victoria and other parts of Australia.<\/p>\n Ms. Patterson has consistently denied wrongdoing. She tearfully told local news media in August that she \u201cdidn\u2019t do anything, I loved them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n She was taken into custody on Thursday morning, Victoria Police said in a statement<\/a>, as part of the authorities\u2019 \u201congoing investigation\u201d into the deaths. She has not been charged.<\/p>\n The police are searching her home, relying on dogs to hunt down items like USB sticks and SIM cards. After the search, Ms. Patterson will be interviewed by the police, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said at a news conference on Thursday in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The arrest, he said, \u201cis just the next step in what has been a complex and thorough investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the investigation \u201chas been subject to incredibly intense levels of public scrutiny and curiosity. I cannot think of another investigation that has generated this level of public and media interest.\u201d<\/p>\n