Home » News » Former Virginia State Trooper Austin Edwards catfished California girl, 15 before killing her family

Former Virginia State Trooper Austin Edwards catfished California girl, 15 before killing her family

(Image Credit Google)
According to police accounts, a 28-year-old Virginia State Trooper who killed a 15-year-old girl's mother, grandparents, and set their home on fire allegedly pretended to be a 17-year-old lad online to groom and sexually extort the child. On Friday, November 25, a trooper by the name of Austin Lee Edwards was murdered in a gunfight with deputies from the San Bernardino sheriff's office. At a press conference on November 30, the victim's family, police, and the 15-year-old Riverside girl were all confirmed to have been saved and to be receiving trauma therapy. According to the police, Edwards, a resident of North Chesterfield, Virginia, met the girl online and catfished her to get her personal data. The girl's mother, Brooke Winek, 38, and grandparents Mark Winek, 69, and Sharie Winek, 65, were bound and gagged by the predator.  "Nobody could imagine this crime happening to my family, to our family, especially being one day after Thanksgiving," said Michelle Blandin, Mark and Sharie's daughter, and Brooke's sister, according to Daily Mail. "He took an oath to protect, yet he failed to do so. Instead, he preyed on the most vulnerable." The girl was not associated with the murders, according to the police. The adolescent, whose identity hasn't been released, also has a sister, although she wasn't around when the incident happened. Riverside Police said that Edwards pretended to be a teenager in order to start an internet romance with the 15-year-old. Researchers are seeking to learn how they met online and how long they exchanged letters. The girl ceased speaking with Edwards when he at one point asked for sexual images from her. Detectives have also been unable to determine if the state trooper killed the girl's family out of revenge or for some other reason. Heartbroken Parents should be mindful of their children's online activity, according to Blandin. "Parents, parents, know your child's internet activity. Ask them about their activities and the people they are communicating with. You might be in this scenario because anyone can claim to be someone else, Blandin added. She claimed that on the day of the incident, a neighbor spotted a suspicious-looking car on the street and promptly called the police. Blandin noted that her niece's life might have been "saved" by the neighbor's call. "For my two young nieces who are now left motherless, we hope that this community can wrap their arms around them and lift them up. They have the most difficult journey ahead as they are minors and they don’t understand everything that has happened," Blandin later added. Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said that it will be difficult for them to conduct the interviews and get answers related to the case with the girl due to her age and trauma.

By Awanish Kumar

I keep abreast of the latest technological developments to bring you unfiltered information about gadgets.

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