Austin Lee Edwards, 28, of North Chesterfield, VA is the suspect in an online catfishing scheme and a triple homicide. And the victims were identified as Mark Winek, 69, Sharie Winek, 65, and Brooke Winek, 38.

The married ex-Virginia state trooper died in a shootout with police in Kelso, California after driving across the country to meet the teen girl he had catfished.

According to Riverside investigators, Edwards met the 16-year-old online and pretended to be someone else. She did not know he was a much older man luring her into a romance.

“Detectives determined Edwards had met the female teenager through the common form of online deception known as ‘catfishing,’ where someone pretends to be a different person than they actually are,” authorities said in a press release.

 “It is believed Edwards had developed an online relationship with the teen and obtained her personal information. He traveled from Virginia to Riverside where he parked his car in a neighbor’s driveway and walked into the teen’s home.”

After Edwards killed her mother and grandparents, he abducted the girl. Neighbors called 911 as she struggled with the man who was pushing her into his car. And Edwards died in a shootout with police after a chase. 

Family warns of catfishing

Michelle Blandin, whose parents and sister were killed in the catfishing scam that turned violent, spoke at a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 30. And she warned parents about the dangers of online predators.

“If something like this horrific tragedy can happen here, in our neighborhood, in our community, it can happen anywhere,” Blandin said.

“Please use us as a reference. Tell our story to help your parenting. Not out of fear but out of (an) example of something that did happen,” she added.

“Mark, Sharie, and Brooke were loving people who didn’t deserve this tragedy,” in the Winek family statement they thanked people for “love, support, prayers and patience during this horrific time in our lives.” And set up a GoFundMe campaign.

Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said, “Our hearts go out to the Winek family and their loved ones during this time of tremendous grief, as this is a tragedy for all Riversiders.” 

“This is yet another horrific reminder of the predators existing online who prey on our children. If you’ve already had a conversation with your kids on how to be safe online and on social media, have it again. And if not, start it now to better protect them.”