California police: Virginia man killed family, took teenager

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — The suspect in a triple homicide in Southern California who died in a shootout with police is believed to have driven across the country to meet a teenage girl before killing three members of her family. Police say 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards also likely set fire to the family’s home in Riverside, California, on the day of the shooting Friday before leaving with the teenager. The bodies in the home were identified as the girl’s grandparents and mother: Mark Winek, his wife, 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.” Edwards was a Virginia State Trooper until his resignation last month.