Questions Remain In Riverside County Triple Homicide

RIVERSIDE, CA — The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau released information Monday morning about three family members slain by a Virginia law enforcement officer in their Riverside home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The coroner confirmed the victims' identities, a week after the Riverside Police Department did. But details on how the three were killed and what time are still publicly available.

The bodies of Mark Winek, 69, his wife, Sharie Winek, 65, and their daughter, Brooke Winek, 38, were discovered at 11:24 a.m. Nov. 25 inside their home in the 11200 block of Price Court, the coroner confirmed Monday. All three were killed on that same date at the home, but the coroner listed the time of the deaths as "unknown."

There has been no official word from the Riverside Police Department nor the coroner on the manner in which they were killed.

Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of North Chesterfield, Va., was identified by Riverside police as the killer. He allegedly drove to the Winek home from Virginia with the intent of taking Brooke Winek's 15-year-old daughter after meeting her online while "catfishing" (pretending to be someone he wasn't).

When Edwards finally arrived at Price Court, he parked his red Kia Soul in a neighbor’s driveway and walked to the girl’s home, police reported.

How and when Edwards gained entry into the family residence is not clear.

At least one phone call was made to police late morning on Nov. 25 about the girl who "appeared distressed" while getting into Edwards' vehicle, according to Riverside police.

Minutes later, more calls came into police about a fire burning at the Winek home, which led fire crews to the grisly discovery at 11:24 a.m. of the three Winek family members dead in the home's entryway, according to Riverside police and the coroner.

The blaze was quelled and appeared to be "intentionally ignited," police reported.

A neighbor told Patch that when he saw the victims being taken out of the house, their hands appeared to be bound behind their backs and their faces were at least partially covered.

As detectives pieced together clues, a description of the red Kia Soul was broadcast to law enforcement agencies and a manhunt began for Edwards and the missing girl.

Within hours, Edwards and the teen were spotted in the Kia nearly 200 miles away from the crime scene, in the unincorporated area of Kelso, in San Bernardino County's Mojave National Preserve. The desolate desert spot is located about 86 miles northwest of Needles.

Rather than surrender to San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, Edwards allegedly led a chase and got into a gun battle with the law enforcement officers. He shot at a SWAT vehicle several times before losing control of the Kia and veering off-road, Riverside police reported.

After the crash, the teen got out of the Kia and "was rescued by deputies"; she was unharmed, according to police. She was not named as a suspect in the slayings and was characterized by police as a victim.

After the girl was out of harm's way, Edwards did not surrender, according to authorities. Instead, he "pointed a gun" at a sheriff’s helicopter, which prompted deputies to shoot him, according to the Riverside Police Department. He died at the scene.

Edwards had worked for the Virginia State Police and was recently employed at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, according to Riverside police. Authorities in Virginia confirmed he served as a Virginia State Police trooper for about a year in the Richmond metropolitan area but resigned in October. He was then hired on as a deputy in Washington County, Va., City News Service reported. According to the law enforcement agencies, background checks on Edwards raised no red flags.

Read more: Grieving Family Speaks Out About Cop Accused Of Killing 3 In RivCo