FROM the Middle Eastern-based news service Aljazeera to the Irish Times and every media outlet in between, there has been blanket coverage of the mystery surrounding the trio of Korumburra deaths, allegedly as a result of eating poisoned mushrooms, in Leongatha.

Both Korumburra and Leongatha have been targeted by dozens of media crews, looking for their own slice of the action, but despite an avalanche of requests, police say they are planning no further updates, or media conferences.

Police Media issued the following statement:

“At this time, we are understandably receiving a high number of media enquiries in relation to the incident at Leongatha where three people have died.

“In short, there are no updates on the investigation and we are not expecting this to change in the short term. The deaths are still being treated as unexplained and the fourth person remains in hospital in a critical condition.

“On Monday (August 7) Detective Inspector Dean Thomas from the Homicide Squad spoke at a press conference in relation to the matter and this is still accessible online: https://youtu.be/6h3lDcrxsAg

“There are no public updates since that press conference and the investigation remains ongoing. That being the case, we are not currently facilitating requests for interviews or a further press conference. We will also not be providing background or off the record briefings on the investigation.”

A spokesperson for Police Media said they had spoken with Homicide Squad investigators and confirmed with them that at this time they are not going to comment on the specifics of the investigation and what it entails; this includes the scope of the investigation, who is spoken to, any operational activities such as warrants etc.

“I know you are all keen to report on this matter accurately and we absolutely understand the media and community interest, however we are constantly balancing this against the need to ensure the investigation is conducted in an appropriate manner and not unnecessarily impacted through the release of information.

“Where we have any information or updates that we are able to release publicly, please rest assured that we will do so as soon as we are able.

“Finally, I know many of you have travelled to the Leongatha and Korumburra areas as part of this story and have spoken to a range of people in those communities. A gentle reminder that many of those people are grieving, particularly the families of those involved. We ask that you are also considerate of their welfare at this time.”