Donald Whitaker, 80, and his wife Karen, 79, were found dead inside their Bermuda Dunes Country Club home after a neighbor requested a welfare check on Friday. Friends say Karen had been in regular contact with someone who claimed to be actor Tom Selleck and had been sending increasingly large payments via gift cards, a detail homicide investigators are now reviewing while stressing that no connection to the deaths has been confirmed.
Homicide Investigation Follows Welfare Check
Deputies from the Thermal Station responded to the 79000 block of Montego Bay Drive at about 11:59 a.m., where they found the couple suffering from traumatic injuries. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. The Riverside County Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit has taken over the case and said no further information will be released for now, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
Friend Describes Alleged 'Tom Selleck' Scam
A friend of the couple told KESQ that the unusual contact started after Karen posted a memorial on Facebook. After that post, a mysterious texter came forward claiming to be Tom Selleck. Joy Miedecke said Karen began with small gift cards, but over time the payments grew into the hundreds and then thousands of dollars.
According to Miedecke, relatives eventually stepped in, canceling Karen's cards and limiting her access to accounts. She said Adult Protective Services visited the home, and that neighbors and community members had tried to alert and protect the Whitakers as concerns about the alleged scam grew.
What Authorities Are Saying, and What They Are Not
The sheriff's office has declined to confirm any tie between the reported online scam and the couple's deaths. Officials have also not released information about the nature of the traumatic injuries or whether a suspect is at large, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Investigators have urged anyone with information to contact homicide detectives, but are otherwise keeping the case tightly controlled as the investigation continues.
Gift Card Payments Flagged as Classic Scam Tactic
Federal and consumer groups say demands for gift cards are a hallmark of many imposter and romance scams because the cards are difficult to trace. The FTC bluntly warns that "anyone who demands payment by gift card is a scammer." Research from AARP and recent federal complaint data indicate that romance and imposter scams targeting older adults have surged and can cause devastating financial losses for victims and families, according to the FTC and AARP.
Anyone with information about the Whitakers' deaths can contact Central Homicide Investigator Hood at (951) 955-2777 or Thermal Station Investigator Gutierrez at (760) 863-8990, per the sheriff's office. For families concerned about similar schemes, the Department of Justice's National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-FRAUD-11) and the FTC's reporting tools remain available as resources for victims and caregivers.
