A nationwide hunt is on for a Minnesota woman who allegedly killed a Florida woman who looked like her to steal her identity so she could hide while on the run for murdering her husband. Lois Riess, 56, is now believed to be in Texas, possibly driving a white 2005 Acura TL she stole from her apparent doppelganger, 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson. Nancy Grace follows the deadly trail in this Crime Stories episode with forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan, New York psychologist Caryn Stark, Connecticut-based criminal defense lawyer Mickey Sherman — author of “How Can You Defend Those People?” — and Crime Stories contributing reporter John Lemley.
Riess has left plenty of clues along the way, including security video recorded at Smokin’ Oyster Brewery in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, April 5. Riess is seen at a bar talking and drinking with Hutchinson before allegedly killing her.
Suspected murderer Lois Riess was caught on camera with her latest victim on Fort Myers Beach.
New surveillance video from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows Riess talking to 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson at Smokin’ Oyster Brewery on April 5. She allegedly targeted Hutchinson because the two looked alike. Riess is believed to have taken her victim’s cash, credit cards, driver license, and car.
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida
Another security camera video shows Riess pulling up to a Ocala, Florida, hotel in a stolen car and checking in at the registration desk.
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida
Riess is also wanted for killing her husband, David Reiss, in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, in March.
Investigators ask that anyone with information on Lois Riess call the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Tip Line at: 1-(877)-966-6222 or South Florida CrimeStoppers at 1-800-780-8477. You should consider her to be armed and dangerous. A $6,000 reward is offered for help in capturing Riess.
Also in this episode, Grace talks with private investigator Vincent Hill and Crime Stories contributing reporter Art Harris about the Tex McIver murder trial as the jury deliberates the case. McIver, a prominent Atlanta lawyer, allegedly intentionally shot his wealthy wife in the back. McIver claims he was asleep when he accidently pulled the trigger on a gun he was holding.
Also read: Watch Tex McIver murder trial LIVE
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is a national radio show, heard on SiriusXM’s Triumph Channel 132, five times a day. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iTunes and Google Play.
