Law enforcement investigating possible connection between mushrooms and death at health retreat
The death of the 53-year-old at the wellness centre in the town of Clunes is currently under investigation by detectives from the Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit.
A woman has passed away and two other individuals are currently hospitalized after consuming a beverage at a retreat in regional Victoria.
The death of the 53-year-old at the wellness centre in the town of Clunes is currently under investigation by detectives from the Moorabool Crime Investigation Unit.
Authorities are looking into whether the drink may have contained mushrooms.
Victoria Police were contacted around midnight on April 14 and suspect that the woman from Ringwood North fell ill after ingesting a drink.
The investigation is ongoing and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Paramedics from Ambulance Victoria were called to the Clunes property at 11.55pm on April 13 and transported two other individuals to Ballarat Base Hospital.
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The retreat promotes itself on social media as an alternative and holistic health service.
It offers various services, including facials using “wild foraged plants.”
On the night of Friday, April 12, the retreat hosted an event with a medium where attendees had the opportunity to “ask questions of the spirit communicators.”
An event scheduled as “sound healing” was cancelled on April 14.
AAP has reached out to the retreat owner for a statement.
Clunes is situated approximately 30km from Ballarat, a location that has witnessed several tragic incidents in 2024.
Within the past two months, three local women, Samantha Murphy, Rebecca Young, and Hannah McGuire, have reportedly lost their lives at the hands of men.
In March, miner Kurt Hourigan passed away in a mine collapse, and the region also dealt with bushfires over the summer.
Less than a year ago, three individuals died and one was hospitalized for several months after allegedly consuming toxic mushrooms in eastern Victoria.
Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, all aged 70, 70, and 66 respectively, lost their lives after eating a meal at the residence of Erin Patterson in Leongatha in July 2023.
Ms. Wilkinson’s husband Ian, who was also present at the meal, spent nearly two months in the hospital.
Erin Patterson, a mother of two, has been charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.
