Catfishing VA Cop Was Predator Who Groomed Girl Before Murders: Family

RIVERSIDE, CA — The Virginia sheriff's deputy and former state trooper accused of sexually exploiting a California teenager before killing her mother and grandparents was described Wednesday as a predator who pursued an inappropriate romance online that spun out of control without any warning signs of an imminent threat.

The man believed to be responsible for Friday's slayings in Riverside, California, is Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of North Chesterfield, Virginia. He was a sheriff's deputy and former Virginia State Police trooper until he died after he killed the girl's family, authorities said.

Investigators said Mark Winek, 69, Sharie Winek, 65, and their daughter 38-year-old Brooke Winek, were killed after Edwards traveled across the country and staked out her Riverside home. Edwards died in a gunfight with San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies Friday as he fled toward the California state line.

As the Riverside family shared their grief and confusion in the wake of the slayings, law enforcement agencies thousands of miles apart sought to understand how "such an evil and a wicked person could infiltrate" their ranks.

"This horrific event started with an inappropriate romance between a predator and child," said Mychelle Blandin, whose older sister and parents were killed. "This was an adult who traveled across the country to kidnap a 15-year-old girl, my niece ... and devastate our family. He took an oath to protect, yet he failed to do so. Instead, he preyed on the most vulnerable.

"Nobody could imagine this crime happening to our family, especially one day after Thanksgiving," Blandin told reporters while reading a statement at the Riverside Police Department's Magnolia Station Wednesday morning. "We had all just celebrated the Thanksgiving blessing. We recounted many blessings. Little did I know it would be the last time my husband and I would see my sister and parents alive."

According to Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez, Edwards had engaged in an online relationship with Brooke Winek's 15-year-old daughter while posing as a 17-year-old boy with an assumed identity as part of an "online enticement" known as "catfishing" with the probable intent of sexually exploiting her.

Edwards convinced the girl to take sexually explicit images and engage in sexual conversation, according to Gonzalez.

Though the apps used have not been released, officials said Edwards used sextortion against the girl, grooming her to take sexually explicit images, to engage in sexual conversation, and may have been using her to sell or trade sexual images or to groom her, all while acting younger than his actual age.

• Related: VA Man Accused Of Killing 3, Kidnapping Teen Dies In Police Shootout

The girl, whose name was not disclosed, is under the care of Riverside County Child Protective Services, and she is not believed to be a suspect in what happened at the home.

"We hear the term 'catfishing,' and you think of a long-running dating show or series ... sensationalizing online relationships," Blandin said. "However, catfishing led to the deaths of the three most important people in my life. Parents and guardians, when you're talking to your children about the dangers of their online actions, please use us as a reference. Tell our story to help your parenting."

Cop, 'Predator and Murderer'

Edwards was hired by two separate law enforcement agencies in 2022, going through an extensive screening process without raising any red flags, according to Virginia authorities.

According to Riverside Police Department investigators and law enforcement agencies in Virginia, Edwards passed behavioral and psychological evaluations involved in the hiring process of a police officer while he groomed the teen online.

As a new state trooper in Virginia, Edwards was on employment probation in the months leading up to the deadly rampage, according to Virginia State Police.

Edwards entered the police academy July 6, 2021, graduated on Jan. 21, 2022, and was assigned as a state trooper in Henrico County, Virginia.

“The Virginia State Police utilizes standardized performance evaluations for all sworn employees, which includes a personnel early intervention system. As a probationary employee, Edwards was also given monthly performance evaluations, in accordance with department policy,” the Virginia State Police said in a written statement. “During Edwards' short tenure with the department, he never exhibited any behaviors to trigger any internal administrative or criminal investigations.

“The Virginia State Police also conducts a thorough background check as part of its mandatory hiring process for entry into the academy," the statement continued. "That background check requires passage of written, psychological, and physical testing, as well as a pre-employment polygraph. At no time during that extensive process were there any indicators of concern.”

Edwards resigned as a state trooper on Oct. 28 and was hired by the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office just days before Friday's killings.

Once again, he went through a background check, and nothing alarming came up. According to both agencies, the Virginia State Police would have been required to inform the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office of personnel issues including misconduct or excessive force complaints involving Edwards.

“In this case, there were no such records to disclose,” state police said.

The Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Edwards had a clean record.

“Past employers and the Virginia State Police were contacted during the hiring processing; however, no employers disclosed any troubles, reprimands, or internal investigations pertaining to Edwards,” according to a written statement from the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office.

“It is shocking and sad to the entire law enforcement community that such an evil and a wicked person could infiltrate law enforcement while concealing his true identity as a computer predator and murderer. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Winek family, their friends, officers, and all of those affected by this heinous crime,” said Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis.

Suspicious Neighbor Raised Alarm

Gonzalez said an extensive digital and physical investigation into the homicides is ongoing. The victims' manner of death has yet to be confirmed.

Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said a neighbor of the victims spotted Edwards and the teen getting into his Kia Soul shortly after 11 a.m. Friday and immediately became suspicious because the girl "appeared distressed."

The resident called police, and officers were en route to the house when dispatchers began receiving additional 911 calls about a fire inside the Wineks' house. Firefighters arrived first, and found the three adult victims laying on the ground in the front entryway. Their bodies were pulled outside, where it was determined they were homicide victims.

Then fire was determined to be an act of arson. Railsback said detectives then set about unraveling what transpired and soon identified Edwards as the man leaving the property with the girl.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies spotted his Kia on Highway 247, leading to a chase during which Edwards fired shots at his pursuers, according to officials. Edwards eventually lost control of the car and drove off the road. The girl escaped and was rescued by deputies, but Edwards got out of the car and allegedly pointed a gun at a sheriff's helicopter, prompting deputies to open fire, killing him.

A GoFundMe campaign set up for the Wineks had raised about $61,000 as of Wednesday.

Patch Staffers Toni McAllister and City News Service contributed to this report.