California couple duped by Tom Selleck imposter died in suspected murder-suicide

The elderly couple who fell victim to a scammer who pretended to be Tom Selleck before their mysterious demise died in a murder-suicide, police said Thursday.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Office said that the evidence available to them points to a “murder suicide,” but they are still investigating their deaths before they will release a finalized cause.

Police added that there “is no evidence to indicate” the scammer who targeted the couple had anything to do with their death.

Karen Whitaker, 79, fell victim to the scammer before her husband, 80-year-old Donald Whitaker, and family cut her off from accessing any financial accounts.

But her family said Karen had sent the scammer an estimated $30,000 before they stopped her. Joy Miedecke, a friend of the couple, told KTLA that she believed Karen was suffering from the initial stages of dementia

 “She thought it was really Tom Selleck,” she said.

The scammer asked for small amounts at first before increasing sums to hundreds and then to thousands of dollars. Miedecke said the scammer told Karen to pay them $80 to be first on the list for an event in the desert.

“Then, the [scammer] said, ‘We’re going to come out to the desert and have an event and Karen, you can be first on the list if you just send $80,’” Miedecke said.

Miedecke said the ordeal began after Karen posted a Facebook tribute to a deceased school friend.

Soon after, someone claiming to be the Hollywood star allegedly contacted her by text message.

She said the scammer, fake Tom Selleck, found Karen and convinced her they had something in common. “They found her phone number and they text messaged her and they said they were Tom Selleck,” Miedecke told News Channel 3. “And that they knew this girl and had dated her. And now we have something in common. And that started the whole thing.”

Even after they got someone who had contact with Selleck to tell Karen he did not get in contact with her, she still believed it was him. “We even had somebody who had a relationship with somebody that works for Tom Selleck go and talk to her and say, Tom Selleck does not do this,” Miedecke said. “It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stop believing it.”

Donald and Karen were discovered with traumatic injuries inside their home at Bermuda Dunes Country Club last Friday after Riverside County deputies performed a welfare check shortly before noon.

No arrests have been made, and the investigation is still active.