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Virginia Police: Deputy accused of ‘catfishing’ teen, killing her family

WEAA
Published December 1, 2022 at 1:43 PM EST
Dozens of candles are laid on the sidewalk, along with bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals outside of a charred home in Riverside, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. Authorities believe a suspect parked his vehicle in a neighbor's driveway, walked to the home and killed the family members before leaving with a a teenage girl on Friday. Officials have not yet determined how the victims were killed or how the fire was set. The teenager was unharmed. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)
Amy Taxin/AP
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AP
Dozens of candles are laid on the sidewalk, along with bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals outside of a charred home in Riverside, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. Authorities believe a suspect parked his vehicle in a neighbor's driveway, walked to the home and killed the family members before leaving with a a teenage girl on Friday. Officials have not yet determined how the victims were killed or how the fire was set. The teenager was unharmed. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A Virginia sheriff’s deputy posed as a 17-year-old boy online and asked a teenage California girl for nude photos before he drove across the country and killed her mother and grandparents and set fire to their home.

Police say 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards left with the teenager Friday and died by suicide during a shootout with law enforcement hours later.

This photo provided by the Riverside Police Department shows Austin Lee Edwards, the suspect in a triple homicide in Southern California who died in a shootout with police Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Edwards is believed to have driven across the country to meet a teenage girl before killing three members of her family, police said. (Riverside Police Department via AP)
AP
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Riverside Police Department
This photo provided by the Riverside Police Department shows Austin Lee Edwards, the suspect in a triple homicide in Southern California who died in a shootout with police Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Edwards is believed to have driven across the country to meet a teenage girl before killing three members of her family, police said. (Riverside Police Department via AP)

Family members and authorities said Wednesday that the girl is now in trauma counseling.

The bodies were identified as Mark and Sharie Winek and their daughter Brooke Winek.

Police say Edwards met the girl online and obtained her information by deceiving her with a false identity, known as “catfishing.”

Dozens of candles are laid on the sidewalk, along with bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals outside of a charred home in Riverside, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. Authorities believe a suspect parked his vehicle in a neighbor's driveway, walked to the home and killed the family members before leaving with a teenage girl on Friday. Officials have not yet determined how the victims were killed or how the fire was set. The teenager was unharmed and is now in trauma counseling. (AP Photo Amy Taxin)
Amy Taxin/AP
/
AP
Dozens of candles are laid on the sidewalk, along with bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals outside of a charred home in Riverside, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. Authorities believe a suspect parked his vehicle in a neighbor's driveway, walked to the home and killed the family members before leaving with a teenage girl on Friday. Officials have not yet determined how the victims were killed or how the fire was set. The teenager was unharmed and is now in trauma counseling. (AP Photo Amy Taxin)
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