Former police officer allegedly catfishes teen girl online, kills her family - ABC News

A erstwhile Virginia constabulary serviceman allegedly "catfished" a teenage miss online earlier traveling to Riverside, California, and sidesplitting her family, according to police.

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, Riverside constabulary said.

As officers responded to that report, they received calls of a occurrence astatine a adjacent house.

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

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

Police said three household members 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.

The Wineks "were loving radical who didn’t merit this," the household said successful a statement. 

The occurrence appears to person been intentionally set, constabulary said, adding that the causes of decease were inactive pending.

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

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

Authorities said the teenage miss lived astatine that location and the victims killed were her parent and grandparents.

The antheral getting successful the car with the teen was identified arsenic 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards of Virginia, according to police.

The miss is 15, according to Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback.

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

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

Edwards -- who had worked for the Virginia State Police -- allegedly led deputies connected a pursuit and fired shots astatine them, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office said. Edwards 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 who was declared dormant astatine the scene, the sheriff's bureau said.

The teen was rescued and wasn't hurt, according to police.

Riverside constabulary said they determined Edwards met the teen online done "'catfishing,' wherever idiosyncratic pretends to beryllium a antithetic idiosyncratic than they really are."

Police judge the 28-year-old fishy was pretending to beryllium a teenager, according to Railsback.

After Edwards developed a narration with the miss online, constabulary said they judge helium drove from Virginia to California, parked successful a neighbor's driveway, went to the girl's location and killed her family. Edwards past allegedly took the teen and drove away, according to police.

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

Edwards was hired by the Virginia State Police successful July 2021 and discontinue connected Oct. 28, 2022, the bureau said.

Edwards passed the state’s inheritance check, authorities constabulary said.

"As a probationary employee, Edwards was besides fixed monthly show evaluations, successful accordance with section policy. During Edwards' abbreviated tenure with the department, helium ne'er exhibited immoderate behaviors to trigger immoderate interior administrative oregon transgression investigations," the authorities constabulary said successful a statement.

Edwards was hired by the Washington County, Virginia, Sheriff's Office connected Nov. 16, 2022, and had started predisposition with the department, according to the sheriff's office.

"Past employers and the Virginia State Police were contacted during the hiring processing; however, nary employers disclosed immoderate troubles, reprimands, oregon interior investigations pertaining to Edwards," the sheriff's bureau said successful a statement.

Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis added successful a statement: "It is shocking and bittersweet to the full instrumentality enforcement assemblage that specified an evil and wicked idiosyncratic could infiltrate instrumentality enforcement portion concealing his existent individuality arsenic a machine predator and murderer. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Winek family, their friends, officers, and each of those affected by this heinous crime."

ABC News' Beatrice Peterson, Jenna Harrison and DeMarco Morgan contributed to this report.