A Virginia sheriff’s department is facing a lawsuit from a California family after hiring a deputy who committed heinous crimes against a 15-year-old girl and her family. The family is seeking damages through a jury trial, claiming negligence on the part of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the estate of the deputy, Austin Lee Edwards.
The tragic events unfolded on November 25 in Riverside, California, when Edwards sexually extorted and kidnapped the teenager at gunpoint, leading to the death of her mother and grandparents. Edwards, aged 28, later died by suicide during a shootout with law enforcement. Fortunately, the young girl was rescued from the ordeal.
Surprisingly, Edwards had been hired as a deputy just nine days prior to the killings, despite a court order from 2016 that prohibited him from owning or possessing firearms. The court order had been issued following a psychiatric detention after Edwards had threatened to kill his father and self-harmed.
The lawsuit, filed by the girl’s aunt and her minor sister, accuses the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Edwards’ estate of negligence in the hiring process. The family alleges that the department failed to adequately vet Edwards and seeks justice through legal recourse. As of now, the sheriff’s office has not provided any comment on the matter.
Investigations have revealed that Edwards had posed online as a 17-year-old boy, engaging in a deceptive practice known as “catfishing,” and coerced the girl into sending him explicit photos. When the girl stopped responding to his messages, Edwards traveled across the country to her home in California. The suit claims that he used his law enforcement badge and service weapon to deceive the girl’s grandparents, Mark Winek and Sharon Winek, posing as a detective and requesting to question the family.
According to the lawsuit, Edwards proceeded to slit the throat of the girl’s mother, Brooke Winek, and attempted to asphyxiate her grandparents by tying bags over their heads. He then set their home on fire, leaving at least one of them still alive. The devastating loss has shattered the family, and they are seeking answers and accountability through legal action.
The girl’s aunt, Mychelle Blandin, expressed her motivation for filing the lawsuit, stating, “He used his position as a sheriff to gain access to my parents’ home, where he killed them and my sister. I want the Washington County Sheriff’s Office held accountable for giving a mentally unfit person a badge and a gun.” Blandin seeks to understand how Edwards was hired as a sheriff’s deputy and provided with a firearm despite the court order prohibiting it.
Edwards had previously been employed by the Virginia State Police from July 2021 until his resignation nine months later. He was subsequently hired as a deputy in Washington County. The connection between the slayings and Virginia prompted Governor Glenn Youngkin to request a comprehensive investigation by the state’s inspector general. The investigation revealed that a background investigator for the state police had failed to check the appropriate database, which would have revealed the mental health order.
Although the state police are not named as defendants in the lawsuit, they have since implemented changes to their employment processes, background investigation policies, and training. The state police have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter. The lawsuit serves as a means for the grieving family to seek justice and shed light on the failures that allowed Edwards to carry out such horrific acts.
