Restaurant manager who turned in 'Losing Streak Lois' after she 'murdered her husband and another woman' recognized her hair flip and said she was smiling 'like she was on vacation'

  • Lois Riess, 56, was arrested in Texas after a restaurant manager told authorities he recognized her when she walked into his establishment
  • He said he ID'd her when she flipped her hair back, the same way she'd done in a previously released surveillance video
  • Riess is accused of fatally shooting her husband in Minnesota in March
  • Riess is also accused of killing a woman she befriended in Florida in early April
  • Authorities in both states were given 10 days to extradite Riess from Texas  

By Associated Press and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: | Updated:

A simple flip of her hair was what led to the arrest of 'Losing Streak Lois,' the Minnesota woman who had been on the run after allegedly fatally shooting two people, including her husband, in two different states.

Lois Riess, 56, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, was arrested in South Padre Island, Texas, after stopping in local restaurant, Dirty Al's, to peruse the menu.   

Riess had been on the run ever since her husband David Riess, 54, was found shot dead at their Minnesota home on March 23. Her second alleged victim, Pamela Hutchinson, 59, was found dead at her condo in Fort Meyers Beach, Florida, on April 9.  

Suspected murderer Lois Riess, 56, was arrested in Texas on April 19 when a restaurant manager recognized her based on the way she flipped her hair back from her face

Suspected murderer Lois Riess, 56, was arrested in Texas on April 19 when a restaurant manager recognized her based on the way she flipped her hair back from her face

A Texas restaurant manager recognized Riess by the way she flipped her hair back when she entered
He said he'd seen her do the same thing in a previously released surveillance video

A Texas restaurant manager recognized Riess by the way she flipped her hair back when she entered. He said he'd seen her do the same thing in a previously released surveillance video

The Dirty Al's manager George Higginbotham said he recognized Riess when she flipped her long, white hair back from her face as she walked into the seafood restaurant at about 7pm on April 19.

'I thought, "I know this lady,"' Higginbotham told the Star Tribune.

'She had a smile on her face like a vacationer, not really worried that people were looking for her. She flipped her hair and that is what made it kick in.' 

Higginbotham said he recognized the hair flip because he had her do the same move in a released surveillance video in which Riess had flipped her hair back as she talked to a woman at a Fort Meyers Beach bar on April 5, days before allegedly killing her.

Higginbotham said that Riess looked at the menu and then decided not to eat at the restaurant, walking out just minutes after she entered.  

He said that during those two to three minutes she was inside the restaurant, he considered tackling her, but decided not to in case she had a gun or he'd mistakenly identified Riess. 

Riess was in a Texas court last week, signing a waiver of extradition, allowing authorities to transport her to Florida and Minnesota to face her multiple charges

Riess was in a Texas court Monday, signing a waiver of extradition, allowing authorities to transport her to Florida and Minnesota to face her multiple charges

Authorities said that Riess (left) fatally shot Pamela Hutchinson, 59, in Florida, after befriending her. It's believed Riess targeted Hutchinson because of her resemblance to her

A surveillance video from after Hutchinson's death, showed Riess wearing Hutchinson's hat

A surveillance video from after Hutchinson's death, showed Riess wearing Hutchinson's hat

When Riess left, Higginbotham said he called police to report sighting her, while another restaurant employee followed her, watching her get into a white car and driving off.

About 20 minutes later, US Marshals arrested Riess at another restaurant near Dirty Al's, based on Higginbotham's tip.   

Inside Riess' South Padre Island hotel room, authorities found two pistols — a .22 caliber and a 9-millimeter.   

On Monday, Riess, dubbed 'Losing Streak Lois' due to a gambling and casino habit, signed a waiver of extradition in Texas, allowing authorities to transport her to Florida and Minnesota to face multiple charges. 

In Florida, where she allegedly killed Hutchinson, Riess faces charges of murder with a firearm, criminal use of identification, larceny and grand theft auto. In Minnesota, Riess has been charged with one count of larceny and second-degree murder charges are pending.  

A spokesperson for Texas' Cameron County District Attorney's Office said that the first first state to arrive to pick her up gets dibs on her extradition. A judge gave Minnesota and Florida authorities 10 days to get her, according to KRGV. 

Officials said Riess transferred nearly $10,000 from her husband's business account and forged his signature on three checks to herself, totaling $11,000, after his death.

After allegedly killing her husband, Riess headed to Diamond Joe's Casino in Iowa, but was gone by the time authorities arrived. 

Authorities said that Riess used the same gun to kill both her husband and Hutchinson
Riess allegedly shot and killed her husband, David Riess, in their Minnesota home in March

Riess allegedly shot and killed her husband, David Riess, in their Minnesota home in March

She then traveled to Florida, where she was seen on surveillance video talking with her alleged second victim, Hutchinson, who bore a resemblance to Riess.

'Ms Hutchinson's purse was found to be in disarray and all cash, credit cards and identification appeared to be removed,' Lee County Undersheriff Carmine Marceno said.   

Authorities believe Riess, who allegedly used the same gun in both shootings, may have targeted Hutchinson to assume her identity because they look similar.

Surveillance videos released just hours before Riess was caught showed her walking away from the Marina Village in Fort Meyers Beach soon after she allegedly killed Hutchinson.

Another video captured Riess driving away from the hotel in Hutchinson's 2005 white Acura TL.

Riess was also spotted on CCTV cameras driving up to a Hilton hotel in Ocala before calmly walking through the lobby wearing her alleged victim's hat.

Police believed that Riess was fleeing to Mexico. South Padre Island, where Riess was apprehended, is three miles from the Mexican border. 

The US Marshals Service offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to her arrest and put up electronic billboards in at least five states including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.  

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