Austin Lee Edwards: 'Catfishing' cop used service pistol to kill himself during shootout with SWAT team
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA: The Virginia trooper, who catfished a 15-year-old southern California girl and kidnapped her before murdering her three family members, ended his life by using his own service weapon, officials revealed. Austin Lee Edwards took his life during the shootout with the SWAT team after a cross-country drive to the girl's Riverside home where he shot and killed her family before allegedly setting the house on fire.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department also made a shocking revelation that Edwards' coworkers in Virginia removed items from his home before an official search took place. They removed a sheriff's truck and a black trash bag from the man's Abingdon, Virginia, home on November 25, reported Los Angeles Times. Authorities of the Riverside Police Department were not privy to the removal of the items and have revealed their doubts about the search.