Family members have paid tribute to a Melbourne woman who died after allegedly ingesting a drink at a Victorian retreat on the weekend, with police investigating whether it contained mushrooms.
Rachael Dixon, 53, became ill after consuming a drink at the Soul Barn retreat in the Victorian town of Clunes, north of Ballarat, at around 12am Sunday. She died at the scene.
The retreat describes itself on social media as an alternative and holistic health service.
Victoria police on Tuesday confirmed detectives were investigating her death.
In a social media post on Sunday, her son, Matthew Mountain, paid tribute to Dixon, describing her as the “most loving, most caring person I’ve ever known”.
“[I] can’t thank you enough for everything you ever did for me and all the support you gave me, words can’t begin to describe how much I will miss you, wish I could give you one last hug,” he said.
In a separate post, her sister Penny Muller-Dixon said “words cannot express the heartbreak we are all feeling”.
On Tuesday, a police spokesperson said it was “believed a woman was at a retreat on Fraser Street when she became ill after ingesting a drink just after 12am”.
“The 53-year-old Ringwood North woman died at the scene,” they said.
“Two other people were taken to hospital for observation.”
Officers were examining whether the drink contained mushrooms.
Soul Barn’s owner did not respond to a request for comment. It has been reported that she was not present at the time of the incident.
Soul Barn had no events listed for Saturday night, according to a newsletter and social media posts.
But it cancelled a “Sound Healing” event planned for Sunday, according to a Facebook post.
“My deepest apologies – Sound healing is xld [cancelled] today – email with refund and details have been sent to all booked x,” the post read.
Jude Darmanin, who conducts massages and facials at the retreat said in a social media post that she was not present at the incident, but said she was “deeply saddened by the tragic event that occurred at Soul Barn over the weekend”.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson confirmed that paramedics responded to the incident and two people were transported by road ambulance to the Ballarat Base hospital.