US Marshals Capture Minn. Woman Wanted For 2 Murders

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota woman wanted in connection to the murder of her husband and a Florida woman has been arrested in Texas.

The United States Marshals Service said Lois Riess, 56, was captured Thursday at about 8:30 p.m. in South Padre Island.  A source close to the manhunt tells WCCO someone in a restaurant recognized Riess and called authorities.  The source says Riess was arrested without incident.

"I promised all along that Lois Riess would end up in a pair of handcuffs," said Undersheriff Carmine Marceno.  "Tonight, 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."

The four-week, countrywide manhunt for Riess, dubbed the "Killer Grandma," captivated the nation.

She is accused of murdering her husband, David Riess, in Blooming Prairie last month. Dodge County authorities said Riess was at the "Kum and Go" gas station next to Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa, on March 23 -- the day investigators believe her husband was murdered. Riess is seen approaching the cashier, buying a sandwich and asking for directions heading south.

Investigators believe Riess drove to a bank in Glenville, Minn., earlier that day and cashed $10,000 in stolen and forged checks from her husband and his business.

She is also accused of murdering a woman named Pamela Hutchinson, 59, in Florida on April 9 before stealing her vehicle and identity. Surveillance video from an Ocala, Florida hotel showed Riess pull up in Hutchinson's car before checking in.