The woman at the centre of an investigation into the deaths of three people following a lunch of deadly mushrooms, has been charged with murder.
It comes after Australian homicide detectives arrested Erin Patterson on Thursday morning, in what they described as "the next step" in a "complex" and "thorough" investigation.
The Leongatha woman has subsequently been charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, Victoria police said in a statement on Thursday night.
The murder charges and two attempted murder charges relate to an incident on 29 July where four people were taken to hospital after they fell ill following a meal at a private residence in Leongatha.
The further three attempted murder charges relate to three separate incidents in Victoria between 2021 and 2022.
Investigators spent Thursday morning scouring the backyard of Patterson's Leongatha home, where the deadly family lunch took place.
In July, Don and Gail Patterson, Erin's former parents-in-law, and Heather Wilkinson became sick and died after attending a lunch of beef wellington pie, cooked by Erin in the rural Victoria town.
A fourth man, Wilkinson's husband Ian, was hospitalised in a critical condition. He was later released from the hospital in September.
Detectives were seen walking in and out of the garage and leading dogs to and from the property, Australian media reported. Erin's red car was also searched several times.
Homicide squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas spoke with media on Thursday afternoon and said the 49-year-old woman would be interviewed when the search of her home was complete.
"These are three people who by all accounts were much beloved in their communities and are greatly missed by their loved ones," Det Insp Thomas said.
The woman is due to appear at Morwell Magistrates’ Court tomorrow morning.
