Woman dead after eating garden mushroom

The tragic death of a 98-year-old woman after she and her son unknowingly ingested poisonous mushrooms has prompted renewed warnings about the dangers of foraging the wild fungi.

Melbourne woman Loreta Maria Del Rossi passed away on May 22, 2024, after a fatal bout of multi-organ failure triggered by amatoxins — the deadly compound in “death cap” mushrooms.

The discovery was made in Victorian state coroner Judge John Cain’s findings, released for the first time on Wednesday.

Mrs Del Rossi was known for growing her own vegetables and foraging wild greens like dandelion and milk thistle.

In April, she spotted a patch of mushrooms growing in her front yard and, after testing them without incident, prepared them for dinner.

However, after discovering more mushrooms in May and preparing another meal, Mrs Del Rossi and her son fell severely ill, requiring immediate hospitalisation.

While her son survived, Mrs Del Rossi’s condition worsened, leading to her death a week later.

Autumn’s wetter weather in Victoria creates an ideal environment for wild mushrooms, including the infamous death cap, which is typically pale yellow, green, or whitish in colour and often grows near oak trees.

The amatoxins in these mushrooms are lethal in small doses — a 50g mushroom can deliver a fatal dose to a 70kg adult.

Judge Cain’s findings highlighted the yellow-staining mushroom as another significant danger.

While it wasn’t linked to Mrs Del Rossi’s death, this mushroom is easily mistaken for common edible varieties and is Victoria’s most frequently consumed toxic mushroom.

In his statement, Judge Cain praised the Victorian Department of Health for issuing resources on mushroom foraging safety, but called for a more proactive approach.

“However, I believe that additional public awareness is merited.”

The coroner has recommended that the department, alongside the Victorian Poisons Information Centre, launch an annual autumn campaign to educate Victorians on the potentially deadly risks of consuming wild mushrooms.

It comes after the deaths of three people at a casual lunch in Victoria in July last year.

Alleged triple-murderer Erin Patterson will face trial in 2025.

It’s alleged she murdered three people by serving a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.

Ms Patterson formally pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder during a hearing in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on May 7.

Her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, died in hospital.

Ms Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived after spending almost two months in hospital.

The remaining four attempted murder charges allege Ms Patterson attempted to kill her ex-husband Simon Patterson in 2021, twice in 2022 and in July 2023.