Bodies Of Scammed IE Couple Found Inside Their Desert Home

BERMUDA DUNES, — A couple who was scammed into sending a life-altering amount of money to a person claiming to be actor Tom Selleck were found inside their home with life-ending injuries.

One week ago, a welfare check of the Bermuda Dunes couple, Don and Karen Whitaker, led to the grim discovery of their bodies. Both were pronounced dead inside their Montego Bay Drive home in what is believed to be a murder/suicide, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Mike Kelleher.

Homicide investigators later learned that the couple was immersed in elder financial abuse, having been scammed by a predator pretending to be actor Tom Selleck.

"During the investigation, it was discovered that 79-year-old Karen Whitaker had fallen victim to financial elder abuse," Kelleher said. "Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that the unknown suspect or suspects who were involved in the financial abuse are directly involved in the couple’s death."

Before her death, Karen Whitaker was in the beginning stages of early-onset dementia when her trust was gained by a person who met her on Facebook. The scammer claimed to be actor Tom Selleck, according to family friend Joy Miedecke in a KTLA report.

The couple was quickly in a life-altering amount of debt. "We don't know the final total," she told KTLA.

What started as an $80 donation to a function held by "Selleck" evolved into hundreds, then thousands of dollars, according to the report. "By then, some of the girls and I were finding out about this and we were trying to discourage her, telling her it was a scam, talking to her, doing everything in our power, but she would not believe it,” Miedecke said. “She thought it was really Tom Selleck.”

Though the scam was reported, according to KTLA's interview with Miedecke, “(Donald) didn’t know how to handle this and he couldn’t cope with it.”

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Based on the evidence, homicide investigators do not believe there is a threat to the community as a result of this incident.

"At this time, the Riverside Sheriff’s homicide investigators continue to investigate and exhaust all leads in this homicide," Kelleher said. "The evidence available suggests this was a murder-suicide. Homicide investigators are still actively investigating the incident and will complete a thorough investigation before releasing a final disposition.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information related to this investigation to contact Central Homicide Investigator Hood at (951) 955-2777 or Thermal Station Investigator Gutierrez at (760) 863-8990.

The FBI has mentioned a rise in elder abuse scams.

"According to a 2025 report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), complaints from victims over 60 exceeded 201,000 and reported losses were more than $7.7 billion. Complaints increased by 37% and losses by 59% compared to 2024," they said.

The average reported loss for older victims was more than $38,000 in 2025, with at least 12,400 victims claiming losses of at least $100,000.

In phishing and spoofing scams, such as the one the Whitakers fell victim of, criminals send these types of unsolicited—but convincing—emails, text messages, and phone calls to request personal, financial, or login credentials.

According to the FBI website, some common scams aimed at older people include:

• Grandparent scams: Criminals pose as relatives and claim they need money immediately.
• Tech support: Criminals pose as technology support representatives and offer to fix non-existent computer issues.
• Romance scams: Criminals develop online romantic relations with lonely seniors.
• Charity scams: Criminals collect money for fake charities.
• Contest/lottery scams: Criminals tell victims they have won money and just need to pay some fees to collect.

People who believe they are victims of a scam should contact their banks immediately. They should also file a report at ic3.gov and provide as many details as possible.