BERMUDA DUNES, Calif. — A California couple was found dead in their home, victims of a murder-suicide that may be linked to a scam involving a person impersonating actor Tom Selleck.
Donald Whitaker, 80, and his wife, Karen Whitaker, were found dead on May 15, Fox News reported.
They both had “traumatic injuries, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said, but did not give specifics about how they died, other than saying it appeared to be a murder-suicide.
Someone had asked for a welfare check after the wife did not show up for a weekly card game, NBC News reported.
The sheriff’s office said that Karen Whitaker was a victim of financial elder abuse. A friend told Fox News Digital that she had been taken advantage of by a person posing as the “Blue Bloods” star and that the person had conned her out of thousands of dollars.
Joy Miedecke told NBC News that Karen Whitaker had sent the person $30,000 over a year, despite being told by friends that it was not Selleck who was asking for money.
“But she wouldn’t believe anybody, Miedecke said.
Karen Whitaker’s husband found out about the scam in January and, with their children, tried to intervene.
“They cut up all of her credit cards, they closed the accounts, but she still found ways to get money,” Miedecke told NBC News. “She started hiding everything, but she’d be texting all day and all night, it was continuous.”
The day before they were found dead, Karen Whitaker had asked friends for money, Miedecke said.
Karen Whitaker told them that Selleck’s manager’s wife had died and that the manager didn’t have any money, Miedecke told People magazine.
“That was the last straw for Donald,” Miedecke said. “He was so embarrassed. He could not believe she would ask her friends to participate in this scam.”
Miedecke claimed Donald Whitaker had spoken about taking his own life, but would not go through with it because he could not leave his wife with access to their money, worried that she would spend it all and not leave any for their children, People magazine reported.
The sheriff’s office noted in a news release, “Currently, there is no evidence to indicate that the unknown suspect(s) who were involved in the financial abuse are directly involved in the couple’s death.”
No arrests have been made in the couple’s death, officials said.
Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.
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