79-year-old woman fell for monthslong celebrity scam before she and her 80-year-old husband were found dead: Report

A California pistillate was reportedly sending a scammer wealth for months earlier she and her hubby were recovered dormant successful their home.

Karen Whitaker, 79, and Donald Whitaker, 80, were found dead of "traumatic injuries" connected May 15 aft deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office responded to a telephone for a payment cheque astatine the couple's home. The Whitakers lived successful a residence astatine the Bermuda Dunes Country Club successful Bermuda Dunes, California, an exclusive golfing community. Authorities did not supply circumstantial details astir the quality of their injuries but said they were investigating the couple's deaths arsenic a homicide.

In the days pursuing the grisly find, a person of the mates spoke to the media and said that Karen Whitaker had reportedly been targeted by a scam. The person told section ABC affiliate KESQ that Karen Whitaker believed she was communicating with histrion Tom Selleck, and she had been sending him wealth for months.

Joy Miedecke, who was friends with the Whitakers, told KESQ that aft Karen Whitaker wrote a station connected Facebook astir a person who had died, idiosyncratic recovered her telephone fig and started texting her. Whoever the idiosyncratic was, they reportedly told Karen Whitaker that they were Selleck, champion known for his roles connected "Magnum P.I." and "Blue Bloods."

Miedecke said the alleged scammer told Karen Whitaker that, arsenic Selleck, they dated the pistillate she had been paying tribute to connected Facebook, "and present we person thing successful common. And that started the full thing."

Over the adjacent fewer months, Karen Whitaker started sending the idiosyncratic acquisition cards successful amounts of $80 to $800, past aboriginal thousands of dollars. Miedecke, on with members of the Whitakers' family, notified the sheriff's bureau and Adult Protective Services. But adjacent aft Karen Whitaker's recognition cards were destroyed and her entree to her slope relationship was limited, she reportedly recovered antithetic ways to nonstop money.

Miedecke told KESQ that they adjacent recovered idiosyncratic "who had a narration with idiosyncratic that works for Tom Selleck spell and speech to her and say, 'Tom Selleck does not bash this.'" But she added, "It didn't matter. She couldn't halt believing it."

In an interrogation with section NBC affiliate KMIR, Miedecke said Donald Whitaker was "full of grief" erstwhile he recovered out astir the alleged scam.

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Police person not commented publically astir the alleged scam oregon if it has immoderate transportation with the Whitakers' deaths. No arrests person been made arsenic of Thursday, and the Riverside County Sheriff's Office said anyone with accusation should interaction Central Homicide Investigator Hood astatine (951) 955-2777 oregon Thermal Station Investigator Gutierrez astatine (760) 863-8990.