An elderly couple in California were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide after the wife was allegedly cheated on by someone claiming to be an actor Tom Sellecksuch a long-time friend.
Officers from the Thermal Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to a home in Bermuda Dunes at approximately 12 p.m. on May 15 to conduct a welfare check Karen Whitaker And Donald Whitakeraccording to a Press release shared by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon arrival, officers found Karen, 79, and Donald, 80, suffering from traumatic injuries. Donald and Karen were ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
Her boyfriend Joy Rent told later People that the day before her death, Karen had asked some of her friends for money, claiming that Selleck’s manager’s wife had died and he needed financial help.
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“That was the last straw for Donald,” Miedecke, 81, told the outlet. “He was so embarrassed. He couldn’t believe she would ask her friends to take part in this scam.”
Police found evidence suggesting the Whitakers’ deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, the news release said. However, authorities have not said who is responsible for the killings.
“Homicide detectives are still actively investigating the incident and will complete a thorough investigation before releasing a final decision,” the sheriff’s office statement said.
The sheriff’s office added that it found no evidence that a third person was involved in the deaths.
Miedecke told the outlet that in the summer of 2025, Karen began communicating with one or more people posing as Selleck, 81. The alleged fraudster gained Karen’s trust by using information about her available on her Facebook profile.
According to Miedecke, the scammer first came into contact with Karen after she posted a message on Facebook about a deceased friend.
“Then the scammer (or scammers) said, ‘We’re going to come to the desert and have an event, and Karen, you can be first on the list if you just send $80,'” Miedecke claimed.
Miedecke said Karen sent the scammer amounts of money that gradually grew to thousands of dollars, and her friends asked her to stop sending money. However, Karen – who may have been suffering from early-stage dementia – never believed she was being cheated on.
“She thought it was really Tom Selleck,” Miedecke said. “Nobody could stop them.”
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Miedecke reported the matter to authorities and Adult Protective Services workers visited the couple’s home when Donald allegedly first learned of the scam. According to Miedecke, Donald and the couple’s adult children blocked Karen’s access to the financial accounts when they learned of the situation.
Although it has not been confirmed how much money Karen sent the impersonator, Miedecke estimates she sent at least $30,000.
Donald reportedly failed to convince Karen that she had been cheated on, and Miedecke said he could not cope with the financial loss. “He had said to friends a few times that he didn’t know how to deal with it and that he couldn’t cope with it,” she said.
Miedecke claimed that Donald openly expressed his thoughts about taking his own life, although he said he would never go through with it because he couldn’t let Karen have access to her money.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information about the case to contact us Central Homicide Detective Hood at (951) 955-2777 or Gutierrez, thermal station investigator at (760) 863-8990.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
