Lois Riess, Fugitive Grandma, Arrested in Texas After Weeks-Long Manhunt

Lois Riess is accused of killing her husband and a Florida woman who resembled her.

The alleged "killer grandma," wanted for the murders of her husband and woman who looked like her, has been arrested in Texas after a weeks-long search.

Lois Riess was captured Thursday night at a restaurant within a resort on South Padre Island, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement.

The beach resort community is located 27 miles from the border with Mexico.

Riess is accused of killing her own husband in March before police say she traveled to Florida and killed a Bradenton woman earlier this month.

Billboards featuring an image of Riess went up in four states as authorities offered rewards for information leading to her arrest.

The 56-year-old allegedly shot her husband to death in their Minnesota home, and, after driving to Florida, she allegedly killed a woman who resembled her in an effort to steal her identity, according to investigators.

She had been on the run since the March discovery of her husband's bullet-riddled body.

As the nationwide manhunt unfolded, Riess was seen on March 23 at a convenience store and casino in northern Iowa, according to The Associated Press.

At the time, authorities released video showing Riess approaching the cashier, who says she asked for directions south.

The store is next to a casino where authorities say she spent the day gambling. Riess' purported penchant for the slots lent her the nickname "Losing Streak Lois."

From Iowa, it is believed Riess headed to Florida.

In one of five surveillance videos released by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Riess is seen calmly walking away from Marina Village in Fort Myers, where authorities believe she killed 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson after befriending her in a restaurant.

Other footage reportedly shows Riess driving a 2005 Acura that investigators say belonged to Hutchinson.

Riess has been charged with murder, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and grand theft and criminal use of personal identification in Florida as well as second-degree murder charges in Dodge County, Minn.

RELATED STORIES

 

Latest News