Background: The outside of the Bermuda Dunes Country Club in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., where Donald and Karen Whitaker were found dead in their home on May 15 (Google Maps). Inset: Karen and Donald Whitaker (Facebook).
A tragic situation unfolded in California, where a woman unknowingly entangled in a scam was sending money for months before she and her spouse were tragically discovered deceased in their residence.
Karen Whitaker, aged 79, and her husband, Donald Whitaker, aged 80, were discovered with “traumatic injuries” on May 15. The discovery was made after Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check at their Bermuda Dunes Country Club home, an upscale neighborhood in Bermuda Dunes, California. While specific details of their injuries were not disclosed, the authorities are treating their deaths as a homicide investigation.
In the aftermath of this shocking discovery, a close friend of the Whitakers revealed to the press that Karen had been caught in a scam. According to an interview with local ABC affiliate KESQ, Karen Whitaker mistakenly believed she was corresponding with actor Tom Selleck and had been sending him money over several months.
Joy Miedecke, a friend of the Whitakers, shared with KESQ that the ordeal began when Karen posted on Facebook about a deceased friend. Following this, someone obtained her phone number and began messaging her, claiming to be Selleck, the star famed for his roles in “Magnum P.I.” and “Blue Bloods.”
The scammer, posing as Selleck, allegedly connected with Karen by claiming they had dated the friend she was mourning on Facebook, which seemed to establish a false sense of shared experience. This deceitful connection initiated a series of events.
Over the ensuing months, Karen Whitaker sent various gift cards, initially ranging from $80 to $800, eventually escalating to thousands of dollars. Despite her family and friends, including Miedecke, alerting the sheriff’s office and Adult Protective Services, Karen found alternative methods to send money even after her credit cards were confiscated and her bank account access was restricted.
Miedecke told KESQ that they even found someone “who had a relationship with somebody that works for Tom Selleck go and talk to her and say, ‘Tom Selleck does not do this.’” But she added, “It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stop believing it.”
In an interview with local NBC affiliate KMIR, Miedecke said Donald Whitaker was “full of grief” when he found out about the alleged scam.
Police have not commented publicly about the alleged scam or if it has any connection with the Whitakers’ deaths. No arrests have been made as of Thursday, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said anyone with information should contact Central Homicide Investigator Hood at (951) 955-2777 or Thermal Station Investigator Gutierrez at (760) 863-8990.
