VA Killer Cop: Deputies Took Truck, Uniform From Home Before Official Search: Report

VIRGINIA — The home of a Virginia sheriff's deputy who killed three members of a California family last month was searched for other victims and his police firearm as he ran from authorities on the West Coast, reports said.

Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of North Chesterfield, Virginia, is believed to have catfished a Riverside, California, teen into believing he was a 17-year-old boy. Authorities said Edwards drove across the country, killed the 15-year-old girl's mother and grandparents, and set their home on fire.

He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after fleeing with the girl — who was rescued — and engaging officers in a shootout on Nov. 25, according to police.

At the time of his death, Edwards was a patrol deputy with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, a job he began on Nov. 16.

The sheriff’s office said deputies checked Edwards’ residence while he was on the run in California to ensure there were no victims at his home and determine the status of Edwards’ agency-issued weapons, WRIC reported.

According to authorities, the deputies left with Edwards’ uniform, bulletproof vest and duty belt — all of which were found on his home's back porch — as well as his patrol vehicle, which contained his department-issued shotgun and rifle. His duty weapon was not in its holster and authorities in California were alerted.

Riverside, California, police, who are leading the homicide investigation, said they did not know about the Washington County Sheriff deputies’ actions, The Los Angeles Times reported. Officers with the Smyth County Virginia Sheriff’s Office executed the official search warrant at the house.

Both the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Smyth County commonwealth’s attorney declined to comment about the search to the Times.

In other reporting, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that Edwards told a prospective employer he had checked himself into a mental health facility years earlier, but the law enforcement agency still hired him.

On July 6, 2021, Edwards entered the Virginia State Police Academy. He graduated Jan. 21, 2022, as a trooper and was assigned to Henrico County, within the Richmond Division, according to a statement from Virginia State Police.

But Edwards resigned Oct. 28, and started work as a patrol deputy with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 16. He began orientation and was assigned to the patrol division at the time of the Riverside killings, according to the sheriff's office.

Related:

• Virginia Cop Tied To CA Slayings Threatened To Kill Before: Report
• Catfishing VA Cop Was Predator Who Groomed Girl Before Murders: Family

State police said last week Edwards never behaved in a way that would require a probe by the agency nor did his mandatory background check indicate cause for concern. The sheriff’s office said his past employers did not disclose any issues.

A review of records by the Times revealed Virginia State Police knew Edwards had struggled with his mental health.

In 2016, when Edwards was 21, he threatened to kill himself and his father after scuffling with and biting his father and cutting his own hand, the Times reported last week, causing emergency custody and temporary detention orders to be issued for Edwards.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller told the Times last week that Edwards had not disclosed the incident and that if the agency knew the circumstances under which Edwards was detained, he would not have been hired.

She also previously said “human error resulted in an incomplete database query during Edwards’ hiring process,” the Times reported. Edwards said in an interview as part of the agency’s vetting process that he had voluntarily checked himself into the facility.

"The Virginia State Police conducts a thorough background check as part of its mandatory hiring process for entry into the academy. 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," the agency said.