Woman at center of deathcap mushroom poisoning case says she bought them at grocery store and supermarket

() – The woman at the centre of a suspected mushroom poisoning case that killed three people in Australia claims she bought the ingredients from two separate stores, according to a statement she gave to police cited by the public channel ABC.

Erin Patterson, 48, said she wants to “set the record straight” because she is “extremely stressed and overwhelmed by the deaths” of her loved ones, she said in a statement to police cited by ABC on Monday.

Patterson served a home-cooked meal to her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, who were guests at her home in the rural town of Leongatha on July 29, according to Victoria Police.

Of the four family members who went to lunch, three of them died with symptoms of poisoning by “death mushrooms,” police said during a press conference last week. Another of them remains in critical condition in the hospital.

Victoria Police’s homicide squad, which is investigating the case, urged people to stay away from wild mushrooms and eat only those available in supermarkets as they tried to sort out the details of the case.

But Patterson says he bought the dried mushrooms from an Asian store in Melbourne months ago and the mushrooms from a supermarket chain more recently.

She said both sets of mushrooms were used in a beef Wellington she cooked and served at the family lunch, ABC reported, citing Patterson’s statement.

“I hope this statement can help in some way. I think if people understood more of the background, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge,” Patterson said in the report.

“I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness my loved ones are suffering from. I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people that I loved.”

Patterson has not been arrested or charged in the deaths.

In a tearful exchange with local media outside his home last week, Patterson previously denied any wrongdoing.

Patterson’s full statement to Victoria Police has not been made public. It was also later obtained by The Age newspaper, which published a report that matched the ABC’s reporting.

Victoria Police declined to comment on the statement.

“There are no further updates on the investigation, and we will not comment on specifics at this stage,” police told on Tuesday.

Beef Wellington is a baked dish that involves coating a long cut of beef tenderloin in pastry with a pâté or mushroom filling.

In their initial report last week, police said Patterson’s two children were present at the family lunch in late July but did not eat.

However, according to ABC reports, Patterson’s statement said the children were at the movies. The next night she served the leftovers, but took away the mushrooms for the children because they don’t like them.

Police said they searched Patterson’s home on Saturday and seized several items for forensic testing. Police say they are keeping an open mind about what happened and that the investigation is ongoing.

– ’s Hilary Whiteman contributed reporting.