Fort Myers Beach homicide suspect Lois Riess caught in Texas
After a nation-wide womanhunt, Lois Ann Riess of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, was captured in Texas.
Members of the U.S. Marshal Service and the South Padre Island Police Department arrested Riess at about 8:24 p.m. Thursday evening at a bar and restaurant, after receiving a call from a citizen who recognized Riess.
Riess, 56, is the suspect of two homicides. In March, she allegedly killed her husband in Dodge County, Minnesota, and more than a week ago, murdered Pamela Hutchinson in Snug Harbour at Marina Village. Hutchinson, 59, was found dead in her room from a gunshot wound on April 9.
Riess killed Hutchinson to steal her identity as the two women looked similar.
She stole Hutchinson’s car, then fled to Ocala, and then to Texas.
“I promised all along that Lois Riess would end up in a pair of handcuffs,” said Undersheriff Carmine Marceno in a press release. “(Thursday night), she sits in a jail cell in Texas. We are working as expeditiously as possible to bring her back to Lee County to face murder charges.”
Marceno held a press conference with John Kinsey with the U.S. Marshals Office Friday morning. Both thanked the various law enforcement departments, as well as the publicity from local and national media, that led to Riess’s arrest.
Kinsey said Riess did not seem surprised when she was arrested and put up no resistance. Riess allegedly killed Hutchinson to steal her identity, as both women were close in age and had light blonde hair. However, Riess made no other attempts to change her appearance after.
Marceno said law enforcement is currently determining whether Riess will be returned to Minnesota or Florida to face her murder charges.
She’s smiling in her mugshot when booked into the South Padre Island jail – a sign that Marceno didn’t leave unnoticed.
“She’s smiling. What does that tell you about her?” he said at the press conference. “She looks like anybody’s grandma. She’s a cold blooded murderer.”
Marceno said he hopes to bring Riess back to Florida, but it has not yet been determined.
“I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the marshals. Nationally, we come together and we win,” he said. “She can’t strike again. We ran a killer off the streets.”
Fort Myers Beach homicide suspect Lois Riess caught in Texas
After a nation-wide womanhunt, Lois Ann Riess of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, was captured in Texas.
Members of the U.S. Marshal Service and the South Padre Island Police Department arrested Riess at about 8:24 p.m. Thursday at a bar and restaurant, after receiving a call from a citizen who recognized Riess.
Riess, 56, is the suspect in two homicides. Police say she killed her husband in Dodge County, Minnesota in March and, more than a week ago, murdered Pamela Hutchinson in Snug Harbour at Marina Village. Hutchinson, 59, was found dead in her room from a gunshot wound on April 9.
Riess killed Hutchinson to steal her identity as the two women looked similar, officials said.
She stole Hutchinson’s car, then fled to Ocala, and then to Texas.
“I promised all along that Lois Riess would end up in a pair of handcuffs,” said Lee County Undersheriff Carmine Marceno in a prepared statement. “(Thursday night), she sits in a jail cell in Texas. We are working as expeditiously as possible to bring her back to Lee County to face murder charges.”
Marceno held a press conference with John Kinsey with the U.S. Marshals Office Friday morning. Both thanked the various law enforcement departments, as well as the publicity from local and national media, that led to Riess’s arrest.
Kinsey said Riess did not seem surprised when she was arrested and put up no resistance. Riess allegedly killed Hutchinson to steal her identity, as both women were close in age and had light blonde hair. However, Riess made no other attempts to change her appearance after.
Marceno said law enforcement is currently determining whether Riess will be returned to Minnesota or Florida to face her murder charges.
She’s smiling in her mugshot when booked into the South Padre Island jail – a sign that Marceno didn’t leave unnoticed.
“She’s smiling. What does that tell you about her?” he said at the press conference. “She looks like anybody’s grandma. She’s a cold blooded murderer.”
Marceno said he hopes to bring Riess back to Florida, but it has not yet been determined.
“I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the marshals. Nationally, we come together and we win,” he said. “She can’t strike again. We ran a killer off the streets.”