Virginia LEO Who Allegedly Catfished Teen, Murdered Her Family is Killed in Shootout with California Deputies
Above: Sharie and Mark Winek (L) and Brooke Winek (R) | All photos courtesy of Riverside PD
UPDATE (Mon. December 12, 2022): New reporting indicates that Edwards actually died by self-inflicted gunshot wound using his own service weapon, and was not killed by gunfire from San Bernardino County deputies.
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A law enforcement officer from Virginia suspected of catfishing a teen girl and murdering her family is dead after a shootout with deputies in San Bernardino County.
According to a Riverside PD news release, 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards of North Chesterfield, Virginia — reportedly an ex-trooper with the Virginia State Police — was identified as the man killed in a shootout with deputies on Friday, November 25. Edwards had reportedly been traveling with a teen girl he had catfished online and ultimately abducted, and is suspected of having murdered her family and setting their home on fire just hours prior.
The ordeal began when Riverside Police officers were dispatched to the 11200 of Price Court for a welfare check, after a visibly distressed teenage girl had been seen getting into a red Kia Soul driven by an adult man, later identified as Edwards.
During this first call, dispatch began receiving reports of a house fire a few blocks away. Riverside fire personnel responded to the scene of the fire and ultimately located three people dead inside the home — Mark Winek (69), his wife Sharie Winek (65), and their daughter Brooke Winek (38).
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, investigators believe it was set intentionally and that the three people inside were victims of homicide. Firefighters were able to put the fire out, police said.
Law enforcement broadcast the suspect’s description, as well as a description of the girl and the vehicle, to neighboring law enforcement agencies. Investigators were able to quickly identify the suspect as Edwards.
Hours after the initial call, deputies in San Bernardino County caught up with Edwards traveling with the girl in the unincorporated area of Kelso. Edwards reportedly exchanged gunfire with deputies, and was ultimately killed in the shootout.
The teen girl was unharmed and taken into protective custody by the Riverside County Department of Social Services, police said.
File photo of Austin Lee Edwards
While the investigation is in its early stages, detectives believe that Edwards met the girl online and formed a relationship with her through catfishing — pretending to be someone else. He eventually obtained the girl’s personal information and travelled from his home state of Virginia all the way to Riverside, parked his car in a neighbor’s driveway, and walked to the girl’s home.
At some point, Edwards allegedly murdered the girl’s grandfather, grandmother, and mother, then walked the girl back to his vehicle and took her with him.
Edwards reportedly graduated as a trooper from the Virginia State Police academy in January of this year and worked for the agency until October, when he resigned and took a job with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The circumstances of his resignation are unclear.
