Five new surveillance videos from two Florida hotels show the 56-year-old Minnesota grandmother wanted in the shooting deaths of her husband and a woman on Fort Myers Beach.
The videos, released Tuesday by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, show Lois Ann Riess calmly walking away from the Marina Village in Fort Myers Beach where investigators say she killed 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson. Another video shows her driving away in a 2005 white Acura TL that she allegedly stole from Hutchinson.
Another surveillance vide shows Riess driving up to an Ocala hotel in what is likely the same vehicle and then calmly walking through the hotel and to the registration counter. The sheriff's office wouldn't say what day the video was taken.
Investigators in Minnesota and Florida have been searching for Riess since her husband, David Riess, 54, was found shot to death in their rural home late last month and Pamela Hutchinson, of Bradenton, was found slain in a Fort Myers Beach timeshare condo April 9.
An initial seven-second surveillance video clip Monday showed a smiling Riess sitting at the bar at the Smokin’ Oyster Brewery on Fort Myers Beach on April 5.
Law enforcement officials say Riess was last placed 1,300-miles from Fort Myers Beach in the Corpus Christi, Texas, area, where Hutchinson's stolen car was seen. The car was also seen in Louisiana en route to Texas.
Police reports said Riess likes to gamble and after allegedly killing her husband and heading to Florida, stopped at a casino in Iowa but left before law enforcement units arrived to question her.
Legal documents from Minnesota also show that a $100,533 judgment was issued against Riess in 2017 in a case involving the estate of a relative. There was no evidence of any payment in the case.
The U.S. Marshals Service updated the Riess case to major status Tuesday and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Riess. Florida Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to $1,000.
The marshals service said they believe Riess is still driving Hutchinson’s Acura TL.
Anyone who has had any recent contact with Riess or who has any information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Tip-line at 1-877-996-6222. Callers can remain anonymous.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s office and the Dodge County attorney in Minnesota are preparing second-degree murder charges against her for the killing of her husband, David, and a spokesman said the charges should be filed within the next few days.
Reiss is considered to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone who see her should call 911.
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