Tag Archives: oceania

Photos released of suspected mushroom poisoning victims

New photos have been shared of the victims of the suspected mushroom poisoning incident in Victoria.

Erin Patterson hosted a family lunch for her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian Wilkinson, on July 29 in her home in Leongatha, a small town in Victoria's South Gippsland region.

Don, Gail and Heather all died a week later, while Ian, a pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church, is fighting for life in hospital and awaiting a liver transplant.

READ MORE: Woman meets with lawyers after suspected mushroom poisoning deaths

The photos of the victims have been been provided with the approval of the respective families.

The incident has focused attention on the dangers of the mushrooms known as "death caps", with medical expert Dr Nick Coatsworth telling Today that eating even half of one can lead to a slow and painful death.

"I'm not one for over exaggeration, but these are seriously dangerous things," he said.

READ MORE: Parishioners gather to pray after mushroom poisoning deaths

Erin, 48, has been questioned and released without charge by detectives from the homicide squad.

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Colombian father arrested after children lost for 40 days in Amazon jungle

The father of two of the four Indigenous children who survived a plane crash that killed their mother and two other adults, then survived 40 days on their own in the Amazon jungle, was arrested on Friday, Colombian authorities said.

The Colombian Prosecutor's Office confirmed in a message to Associated Press journalists that officials arrested Manuel Ranoque, who is the father of the 1-year-old and 4-year-old boys in the crash and the stepfather of the two girls, aged 9 and 13.

The statement gave no details on the reason, but media reports said the case involved allegations of abuse.

READ MORE: Human remains found in hunt for four men on crashed ADF helicopter

Astrid Eliana Cáceres, director of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, said the state agency had been working with the authorities.

"We learned of the capture of the father of two Mucutuy minor children and we believe that the prosecutor's office has operated within the full framework of the law," she said.

Ranoque has been embroiled in a fight for custody of the children with their maternal grandparents. Their mother died four days after the crash, according to the oldest child, Lesly.

The four siblings have remained in the custody of Colombia's child protection agency since leaving the hospital after recovering from malnutrition and other ailments.

READ MORE: Pablo Escobar's hitman 'Popeye' dies of cancer

Their maternal grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, has accused Ranoque of beating their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy.

Before authorities confirmed his arrest, Ranoque acknowledged to reporters that there had been problems at home, but he said he considered it a private family matter and not "gossip" for the rest of the world.

When asked if he had assaulted his wife, Ranoque replied: "Verbally all of a sudden, yes. Physically, very little, because we did more fight of words."

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