A mother of two, Erin Patterson now faces serious charges. These, along with the near fatal shooting of her uncle Ian Wilkinson —the crime that first brought attention to Patterson’s prowess —represent some of Patterson’s subject. This tragic incident has understandably created a national media frenzy, particularly surrounding Patterson’s use of social media and communications. At the time of the incident, Siti was dallying on vacation in New Zealand along with her youngsters.
Throughout her public career, Patterson has often used social media platforms to highlight her commitment to Patterson’s life as a doting mother. Through posts about her children and their many sports, she was a total propaganda machine, putting forth a perfect family fantasy. The most troubling aspects of her online persona were the unsolicited conversations that suggested Simon Patterson, her now-estranged husband, was grooming her.
Erin Patterson had a history of posting about her interest in mushrooms and a history of posting about her culinary pursuits. In the process, she generated dozens of digital “twins,” like “Erin Erin” and “Erin Erin Erin.” With these identities, she was deeply involved in multiple communities. These platforms soon turned into forums to hash out her relationship woes, like her complaints about Simon.
In a series of posts, she voiced her frustration with Simon’s approach to parenting, dubbing him the “bare minimum parent.” Clara said it in ways that made her concerns about his being dirty. In truth, she outright stated that she did not want their kids sleeping over at his home because of it.
In addition, Erin Patterson made her own frustrations with child support known in multiple, aggressive Facebook messages to Simon. Her communications exposed a fraught and toxic relationship adjudged to have been marred by allegations of coercive control against Simon. In one message, she claimed, “I foolishly trusted him to do right by me and the kids when it came to the crunch.” This mood captures the animus that defined their working relationship.
Their disagreements even spilled over into more mundane topics. Later, Erin called on Simon to help remove a fallen tree from a dilapidated fence on her land. Even with their rocky relationship, she still saw him as someone who would be there to help her out. In one message she wrote, “Hey I understand we don’t really have the kind of relationship where I can ask for a favour right now.”
Patterson’s social media activity took a disquieting turn as the debate over legalized mushroom-tripping started to make the rounds. The first purveyor shared photos of a dehydrator she had just invested in, insisting it would only be used for mushroom drying. Friends recalled joking with Patterson about how she had done a food “taste test” on her youngest son. She went for muffins laced with dehydrated mushrooms—all the better to question her motives—obfuscating.
In a deeply unsettling exchange after the killing, Simon aggressively challenged Patterson, asking whether she was serving “slave food. He also asked, very bluntly, “is that what you used to kill them?” This investigation highlights the seriousness of the charges facing Patterson, and the concerns of her cooking practices.
Patterson has made similar statements in the past, saying she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In retrospect, this statement would come under fire from some of the people closest to her. Simon expressed skepticism regarding her health claims, stating, “I didn’t feel completely confident there was a serious medical issue to be discussed.” This lack of trust brings a new dynamic to the already complex relationship between the partners.
Through these troubling discoveries, Patterson continued to craft an illusion as a loving mom. Her public posts painted a picture of a loving family while exposing a tragic tale threaded throughout her messages with Simon. She even admitted to slipping mushrooms into chocolate brownies without her kids’ knowledge. This surprisingly charming detail underscores her tendency to keep her most ambitious kitchen projects on the hush.
Investigators are searching in detail into the three alleged murders and one attempt murder. Patterson’s social media communication and her personal communication will likely be instrumental in cracking this case.