Catfish murders: 'Please know your child's online activity,' grieving family pleads - ABC News

A grieving household is pleading with parents to show their children's online enactment aft a erstwhile Virginia constabulary serviceman "catfished" a 15-year-old miss online and past traveled to her Riverside, California, home, wherever helium allegedly killed her parent and grandparents.

"Nobody could ideate this transgression happening ... particularly it conscionable being 1 time aft Thanksgiving," Mychelle Blandin, the sister and girl of the 3 victims, said astatine a quality league Wednesday.

She recalled the household statement they had connected Thanksgiving astir her mom's brownies.

"Little did I cognize ... that would beryllium the past clip my hubby and I would spot my parents and my sister again," she said. "The adjacent day, erstwhile we were retired buying Christmas lights for our home, I received a telephone telephone from my parents neighbour of 22 years. They were champion friends. They looked retired for each other. She called to archer america that we needed to get determination arsenic soon arsenic we could due to the fact that my parents' location was connected fire."

She pleaded, "Parents: Please, delight cognize your child's online activity. Ask questions astir what they are doing and whom they are talking to. Anybody tin accidental they're idiosyncratic else. And you could beryllium successful this situation."

Sharie Winek, 65, and her hubby Mark Winek, 69, are shown successful a photograph released by the Riverside Police Department. The mates was recovered wrong the location successful Riverside, CA, by firefighters arsenic they were extinguishing the fire, and it was determined they were victims of an evident homicide alongside their daughter.

Riverside Police Department

"Catfishing led to the deaths of the 3 astir important radical successful my life: my dad, my ma and my sister," she said done tears. "Tell our communicative to assistance your parenting. Not retired of fear, but retired of illustration of thing that did happen."

Riverside constabulary said the suspect, 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards, met the 15-year-old Riverside miss online done "catfishing," wherever idiosyncratic pretends to beryllium a antithetic idiosyncratic than they really are. Police judge Edwards was pretending to beryllium a 17-year-old.

Police said they judge Edwards drove from Virginia to California, parked successful a neighbor's driveway connected Friday, went to the teen's location and killed her parent and grandparents. Edwards past allegedly took the teen and drove away, according to police.

Austin Lee Edwards, the fishy successful a triple homicide successful Southern California who died successful a shootout with constabulary connected Nov. 25, 2022, successful a photograph provided by the Riverside Police Department.

Riverside Police Department via AP

The miss has since been rescued and is not hurt, constabulary said.

The murders were discovered connected Friday aft authorities received a study of a miss "who appeared distressed" portion getting into a car with a man, constabulary said. As officers responded to that report, they received calls of a occurrence astatine a adjacent house.

Three relatives were recovered dormant successful the location from evident homicides: 69-year-old Mark Winek; his wife, 65-year-old Sharie Winek; and their daughter, 38-year-old Brooke Winek.

Authorities judge the occurrence was intentionally acceptable aft the murders, constabulary said.

Firefighters and Riverside Police stitchery extracurricular a burned location successful Riverside, Calif., connected Nov. 25, 2022, pursuing a location fire. Three bodies were recovered successful the location which constabulary are investigating arsenic a homicide.

Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG via AP

The relatives were recovered with their hands bound down their backs with duct tape, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez told ABC News.

The victims' origin of decease has not been released but constabulary don't judge they were shot.

"It could beryllium either suffocation oregon possibly immoderate fume inhalation ... but it’s truly excessively aboriginal to archer until the coroner comes retired with that," the main said.

First responders are shown astatine enactment astatine the tract of a occurrence wherever 3 homicide victims were found, successful Riverside, Calif. connected Nov. 26, 2022.

KABC

Blandin said Sharie Winek was the "matriarch" of the household "with the biggest giving bosom imaginable."

Mark Winek, a precocious schoolhouse softball and shot coach, "was a antheral with a large and caring bosom who unselfishly gave to his pupil athletes," Blandin said.

Brooke Winek was a "loving azygous ma who did her champion to rise her 2 teenage daughters successful a loving way," she said.

Brooke Winek, 38, is shown successful a photograph released by the Riverside Police Department. Winek was recovered wrong the location successful Riverside, CA, by firefighters arsenic they were extinguishing the fire, and it was determined she was a unfortunate of an evident homicide alongside her parents.

Riverside Police Department

Several hours aft the 3 bodies were found, authorities said they spotted Edwards driving with the teenager.

Edwards allegedly led deputies connected a pursuit and fired shots, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office said. Edwards past mislaid power of his car and drove disconnected the road, pointing a weapon astatine a sheriff's helicopter, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies past fired astatine Edwards and helium was declared dormant astatine the scene, the sheriff's bureau said.

Police said they judge the teen was not progressive successful the murders.

Edwards was hired by the Virginia State Police successful July 2021 and discontinue connected Oct. 28, 2022, the bureau said. He was hired by Virginia's Washington County Sheriff's Office connected Nov. 16, 2022, and had started orientation, the section said.

The probe is ongoing and includes learning "some of the intentions [Edwards] whitethorn person had," the main said astatine the property conference. It's not wide what app oregon tract Edwards and the teen utilized to pass oregon for however agelong they were communicating, the main said.

Blandin said the neighbour who noticed the unfamiliar car and called constabulary is simply a "hero."

As for Brooke Winek's 2 daughters, "We anticipation that this assemblage ... tin assistance them up. They person the astir hard travel ahead," Blandin said.

ABC News' Jenna Harrison, DeMarco Morgan, Izzy Alvarez and Flor Tolentino contributed to this report.