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Police in California said they do not believe the 15-year-old girl at the center of a “catfishing” case that resulted in the deaths of her mother and grandmother was in league with the suspect.
Ryan Railsback, a spokesman for the Riverside Police Department, told TMZ that detectives currently have no evidence to imply that the youngster is anything other than a victim of former Virginia state trooper Austin Lee Edwards.
Mark Winek, 69, and Sharie Winek, 65, were found murdered inside their burning Riverside, California, home Friday
Edwards, 28, was killed in a gunfight with police authorities on Friday, reportedly after travelling hundreds of miles across the nation and murdering the family of an adolescent girl he met online under a false name.
Police have not yet decided if Edwards kidnapped the 15-year-old after the killings or whether she went voluntarily with him; however, a witness stated on a 911 call seeking a welfare check that the girl appeared distraught while entering the suspect’s red Kia Soul.
Edwards was employed by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office only eleven days before to the murders.
Virginia State Police
According to a police spokeswoman, detectives are attempting to determine if Edwards has committed any further offences relating to “catfishing.” They will investigate the suspect’s past by scrutinizing the content of his technological gadgets and social media sites.
Brooke Winek, 38, the mom of the 15-year-old catfishing victim, was also killed.
Railsback stated in an email to The Post that police do not yet know how long Edwards and the young girl had been interacting online before to Friday’s violence.
In addition, he stated that it was uncertain what led Edwards to perpetrate the killings.
“We have not yet uncovered anything that might shed light on why he murdered the teen’s family,” claimed Railsback.
Friday, the bodies of Mark Winek, 69, and Sharie Winek, 65, were discovered inside their burning Riverside, California home.
Edwards, who had resigned from the Virginia State Police in late October, reportedly murdered Mark Winek, 69, Sharie Winek, 65, and their daughter Brooke Winek, 38, before setting their home on fire, according to investigators.
He then placed the 15-year-old girl in his car, which he had parked in a neighbor’s driveway, and fled, but police were able to locate them within a few hours.
According to the authorities, after being forced off the road by pursuing police officers, Edwards opened fire on them and was killed by responding deputies.
The police think that Edwards set fire to the victim’s residence before fleeing with the little victim.
AP
The adolescent in his vehicle fled without injury and was put into protective care.
Edwards, a resident of North Chesterfield, Virginia, was recruited by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office only eleven days before to his alleged murder spree.
Monday, officials issued a statement indicating that a background check on their new employee revealed no alarming information.
»Police claim 15-year-old girl in ‘catfish’ triple murder not complicit«