Crime
Woman, 79, Who Was Catfished by Someone Pretending to Be Tom Selleck, Found Dead With Her Husband
A 79-year-old woman who had been sending thousands of dollars to an online scammer impersonating actor Tom Selleck was found dead alongside her husband inside their Bermuda Dunes, California, home, according to a report published by KESQ on Tuesday, May 19.
Karen Whitaker and her husband Donald, 80, were discovered deceased with traumatic injuries on Friday, May 15, after deputies responded to a welfare check, per the outlet. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit is leading the investigation and no arrests have been made.
A close friend of the couple, Joy Miedecke, told the outlet that the nightmare began after Karen posted a Facebook tribute to a deceased school friend.
Someone then reached out to Karen by text claiming to be the Blue Bloods star. “They said they were Tom Selleck,” Miedecke said, as reported by KESQ. “And that they knew this girl and had dated her. And now we have something in common. And that started the whole thing.”
According to Miedecke, Karen began sending money through untraceable gift cards — starting at $80, then escalating to $800 and beyond. “She was living and breathing this part of her life, and they were constantly texting her every single day,” Miedecke told the station.
Miedecke said she personally contacted the sheriff’s department and that Adult Protective Services visited the Whitakers’ home multiple times. Karen’s family went so far as to cut up her credit cards and remove her from accounts, but as Miedecke explained, Karen found ways to keep the money flowing.
Someone with a connection to the Magnum, P.I. alum, 81, even intervened directly, but it made no difference. “It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stop believing it,” Miedecke told News Channel 3.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Central Homicide Investigator Hood at (951) 955-2777 or Thermal Station Investigator Gutierrez at (760) 863-8990.
