Virginia Police Officer Who Abducted a Teen & Killed Her Family Was Shot Dead By Local Police

A former Virginia police officer Austin Lee Edwards died during a shootout with the Riverside, California, police after reportedly murdering a teenager's family members after misleading her to believe he was someone else on the internet.

Austin Edwards, 28, reportedly "catfished" the 15-year-old girl (tricked her into believing he was someone else) by posing as a 17-year-old on the internet. At some point in their communication, he traveled from Virginia to California, killing three people in her family, her mother, Brooke Winek, 38, and her grandparents, Mark Winek, 69, and Sharie Winek, 65.

The Riverside police department has not said how the murders happened, but according to NBC News, Edwards forced the minor to go with him after the killings, and the house the bodies were in was set on fire.

The minor is reportedly in child protective custody. There is no explanation for what triggered Edwards to kill the girl's family members. Practicing online safety is of great importance in today's world. Abductors, scammers, traffickers, violent offenders, and hackers use the internet daily to commit crimes.

Stay tuned for details. This story is developing.

Photo Credit: Virginia State Police