Catfishing cop pretended to be 17, ‘groomed’ California girl before killing her family, then himself

Three people behind a lectern during a news conference

NOV. 30, 2022 UPDATED 6:50 PM PT

The 28-year-old Virginia cop who killed three family members of a Riverside teenager had posed online as a teen to “groom” the 15-year-old girl, the Riverside Police Department said Wednesday.

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Austin Lee Edwards portrayed himself as a 17-year-old while communicating online with the girl, using “grooming” methods, which can include tactics such as asking for or offering sexually explicit images, providing gifts and offering compliments, Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said at a news conference.

Gonzalez said it is still under investigation how long the digital relationship between Edwards and the teen girl transpired and what platform they used to meet or communicate, but investigators believe many of those typical exploitative strategies for “sextortion” were used in this case.

“This type of victimization takes place across every platform, social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc.,” Gonzalez said.

Michelle Blandin wipes her tears while talking about her slain sister and parents at a news conference.

“This is yet another horrific reminder of the predators existing online who prey on our children,” he said. “If you’ve already had this conversation with your kids on how to be safe online and on social media, please have it again. If not, start it now to better protect them.”

Police believe Edwards, who was a newly sworn-in law enforcement officer in rural southwest Virginia, connected with the teen girl online by “catfishing” — pretending to be someone he’s not. Then he drove across the country to her home in Riverside, where he killed her mother and grandparents and set fire to the home, before driving off with the girl.

His vehicle was later stopped in San Bernardino County, where authorities initially said he was killed in a shootout with police, but the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Wednesday that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The girl was not harmed and is now in the care of Child Protective Services, officials said.

Riverside, CA - November 28: A memorial is seen outside a home where the deaths of three people were found Friday in a burning home at a residence on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Riverside, CA. They are thought to be connected to the attempted abduction of a teenage girl. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

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The three family members killed were identified as Mark Winek, 69, a longtime baseball and softball coach at Arlington High School; his wife, Sharie Winek, 65, a devoted mother and grandmother; and their daughter, Brooke Winek, 38, a single mother of two teenage girls — including the girl manipulated by Edwards. They all lived together in the Riverside house.

The second daughter was not home at the time of the killings, police said.

“This horrific event started with an inappropriate online romance between a predator and a child,” Michelle Blandin said through tears Wednesday, the only surviving daughter of Mark and Sharie Winek. “He took an oath to protect, yet he failed to do so. Instead, he preyed on the most vulnerable.”

The Virginia officer who showed up at the Wineks’ home Friday had completed the police academy earlier this year, according to Virginia law enforcement officials, and had been newly hired as a patrol deputy with a county Sheriff’s Office just 10 days before his rampage in Riverside.

A family member covers her face as Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez discusses the killings.

While Blandin said that Edwards tried to kidnap her niece, Riverside police officials said they are not yet describing the interaction as an abduction, as they are still combing through physical and digital evidence, trying to understand whether she was coerced or threatened to get into Edwards’ car.

However, Riverside police spokesperson Ryan Railsback said there is no indication the teen girl was involved in the killings or fire. He said the teen walked to the car with Edwards as the house was already on fire.

“In this tragic moment of our family, our grief, we hope some goodwill come from this,” Blandin said. “Parents, please, please know your child’s online activity. Ask questions about what they’re doing and whom they are talking to; anybody can say they’re someone else. … If something like this horrific tragedy can happen here in our neighborhood in our community, it can happen anywhere.”

Police were first notified of a situation afoul on the Winek family’s cul-de-sac Friday morning, when neighbors called in about a female who appeared to be distressed while getting into a red Kia Soul with a male driver. Soon after, calls came in about a fire at the Wineks’ home.