An elderly California woman who died alongside her husband in a suspected murder-suicide may have been caught in an online scam that used actor Tom Selleck’s name, according to a longtime friend. Authorities said Donald Whitaker, 80, and Karen Whitaker, 79, were found dead in their Bermuda Dunes home after a welfare check was requested.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said both had traumatic injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Officials later said Karen Whitaker had been a victim of financial elder abuse, while investigators continue to treat the deaths as a suspected murder-suicide.
Authorities say scam and deaths are linked only by timing
Sheriff’s officials said there is no evidence that the scammer, or scammers, were involved in the deaths. The office said the case remains under investigation, and Tom Selleck is not accused of any wrongdoing or involvement.
Joy Miedecke, a friend who had known the Whitakers for more than a decade, said the scam started after Karen posted about a high school friend who had died. Days later, someone messaged her and claimed to know that friend as well.
According to Miedecke, the person said on Facebook that they were Tom Selleck and told Karen they had dated the friend years ago. Karen shared her phone number, believing the contact had a real connection to her life.
How the messages escalated
Miedecke said the person who contacted Karen slowly built trust through repeated texting. The requests for money began in November, when Karen was asked to buy an $80 ticket to an event the person said was taking place nearby.
The scammer then asked for payment through a gift card, which Miedecke said Karen sent immediately after being told how to do it. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that scammers often tell victims to buy gift cards and share the numbers on the back so the money can be accessed.
Miedecke said the event was later described as canceled, but the messages did not stop. She said the requester later returned with a new pitch, asking Karen to buy a whole table for friends for $800, and the demands kept increasing after that.
Friends and family tried to intervene
As the messages continued, Karen told friends about them, and concerns grew. Miedecke said she and others quickly recognized the pattern as a scam, but Karen did not accept that warning.
She said she contacted the sheriff’s office, where deputies spoke with Karen and offered what Miedecke described as “lots of proof” that the person was not Tom Selleck. The sheriff’s office said the financial elder abuse had been reported to them.
Miedecke also said the messages became more personal and “almost a little bit romantic,” which pushed her to ask whether adult protective services could become involved. She said Donald Whitaker first learned about the situation when adult protective services workers visited the couple’s home in January.
Concern grew as the payments continued
Miedecke said Donald Whitaker and the couple’s adult children tried to stop the financial losses. She said they cut up credit cards and closed accounts, but Karen still found ways to send money.
“She started hiding everything, but she’d be texting all day and all night,” Miedecke said, adding that the contact was constant. She also said Karen asked friends for money the day before the deaths.
The couple’s daughter declined to comment, and other family members could not immediately be reached. A representative for Selleck did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Miedecke said she does not know why Karen believed the person behind the messages was the actor, but she wants other older adults to be careful. “I am very upset with the fact that we have an aging population and that people are going to be scammed like this,” she said.
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