Woman, 53, dead and two others rushed to hospital after ‘consuming poisonous mushroom drink’ at Oz health retreat

A WOMAN is dead and two others are in hospital after another suspected mushroom poisoning has hit Australia.

The 53-year-old became ill after allegedly consuming a mushroom drink at a health retreat before going into cardiac arrest.

Inside Soul Barn – an ‘alternative and holistic health service’ business where the woman died

Soul Barn owner Michelle Mullins

Emergency services rushed to the scene after she stopped breathing but couldn’t save her.

Investigators are looking into a mushroom-based drink that the three may have had at Soul barn, an “Alternative & Holistic Health Service”.

They haven’t ruled out other potentially poisonous substances.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia: “It is believed a woman was at a retreat on Fraser Street when she became ill after ingesting a drink about 12pm.

“Investigations remain ongoing and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.”

One of the services offered at Soul Barn are facials advertised as being made with “wild foraged plants”.

The business, in Clunes, Victoria, announced it was closed on Sunday after Saturday’s horror incident.

There is no suggestion from police that Soul Barn was involved in the woman’s death or the hospitalisation of two others.

Last summer Victoria was rocked by an infamous mushroom poisoning case when Erin Patterson, 48, was suspected of killing her family.

She invited Gail and Don Patterson, her former in-laws, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian to her home in Leongatha, for lunch.

After eating the meal – which allegedly included poisonous mushrooms – the guests became violently ill and Gail, 70, Heather, 66, and Don, 70, later died.

Ian, a pastor, survived and gave his first sermon since the horrific tragedy in February.

He said: “Let me encourage you to keep on going.

“The way is sometimes hard, but God is good. He is with us.”

His nephew’s wife Erin was charged in November with three counts of murder.

She was also hit with five counts of attempted murder – reportedly including on her then husband’s life.

Saturday’s tragedy comes just weeks after a health department warning told people to look out for notorious death cap mushrooms.

They said yellow-staining mushrooms are also deadly, and very hard to distinguish from safe shop-bought ones.

Dr Evelyn Wong, chief health officer, said just one death cap mushroom is enough to kill an adult.

Erin Patterson, a suspect in the deadly mushroom poisoning case that rocked Australia last year