Friends said the fraud began after an online memorial post and escalated into months of payments.
BERMUDA DUNES, Calif. — A reported scam using actor Tom Selleck’s name began with an online memorial post and preceded the deaths of a Riverside County couple now under homicide investigation.
Karen Whitaker, 79, and Donald Whitaker, 80, were found dead May 15 inside their home in the 79000 block of Montego Bay Drive in Bermuda Dunes. Deputies said both had traumatic injuries. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office later said Karen Whitaker had been a victim of financial elder abuse and that evidence in the deaths suggests murder-suicide. Officials have not released a final disposition, a cause of death or the identity of any person suspected in the financial-abuse case.
The reported fraud began after Karen Whitaker posted on Facebook about a friend who had died, according to Joy Miedecke, a longtime friend of the couple. Miedecke said someone contacted Karen and claimed to be Selleck, saying he had known or dated the woman named in the post. That claim created a shared point of grief and trust. The exchanges moved into text messages and became frequent. “They text messaged her, and they said they were Tom Selleck,” Miedecke said, describing how the person first presented the false identity.
From there, Miedecke said, the person built a relationship that Karen believed was genuine. The first money request was tied to a supposed event and involved $80. Later, the person asked for more, including amounts as high as $800, and then thousands of dollars. Payments were made through gift cards, Miedecke said. She estimated Karen sent at least $30,000 before her death. Sheriff’s officials have not confirmed that amount, and the final loss remains unknown. They have confirmed only that Karen had fallen victim to financial elder abuse before she died.
Friends and relatives tried to break the pattern, according to Miedecke. They told Karen the person was not Selleck. They brought in someone who had a connection to a person who worked around the real actor to say that Selleck was not communicating with her. They contacted law enforcement and Adult Protective Services. Donald Whitaker and the couple’s adult children later restricted Karen’s access to accounts and credit cards, Miedecke said. The reported payments continued anyway. “She thought it was really Tom Selleck,” Miedecke said. “Nobody could stop her.”
The official record separates the financial-abuse case from the deaths. Sheriff’s officials said investigators discovered the abuse during the homicide investigation, but they also said there was no evidence that the unknown suspect or suspects involved in the financial abuse were directly involved in the couple’s deaths. That leaves two unresolved tracks: the fatal incident inside the Bermuda Dunes home and the alleged impersonation scheme that had already drawn concern from people close to the couple. Investigators have not said whether they know where the money went or who received it.
The welfare check happened at 11:59 a.m. May 15, when deputies from the Thermal Sheriff’s Station were sent to the Whitakers’ home. Deputies found Donald and Karen Whitaker inside with traumatic injuries and pronounced both dead at the scene. The Central Homicide Unit responded. The agency said no arrests had been made and investigators were working to identify anyone involved. In its update, the sheriff’s office said available evidence suggested murder-suicide, but homicide investigators would complete a thorough review before making a final determination.
Miedecke said the scam caused strain inside the home before the deaths. She said Donald Whitaker struggled with the financial loss and with his wife’s continued belief in the person messaging her. He was upset when Karen asked friends for money connected to the scam, Miedecke said. She also said she believed Karen may have been in the early stages of dementia, a claim authorities have not publicly confirmed. The sheriff’s office has not released medical information, mental-health findings or details from interviews with family members.
The public facts point to a narrow but stark timeline. A social media post led to contact from someone using a celebrity identity. Messages became frequent. Gift-card payments began with small sums and increased. Friends, relatives, law enforcement and protective-services workers became involved. A financial elder-abuse report was made. Then, on May 15, deputies conducting a welfare check found the couple dead. Officials later said the evidence suggested murder-suicide and that the financial-abuse suspect was not directly tied to the deaths based on information known at the time.
The deaths remain under review by Riverside County homicide investigators. The sheriff’s office has asked anyone with information to contact Central Homicide Investigator Hood or Thermal Station Investigator Gutierrez, while the final investigative disposition remains pending. For now, the person or people behind the reported impersonation had not been publicly identified.
Author note: Last updated June 20, 2026.