April 16 (UPI) -- A nationwide search started Monday for a 56-year-old mother and grandmother accused of murder in two states.
Lois Riess, 56, is accused of killing her husband, David, in Minnesota last month before going on the run. Police say Riess ended up in Ft. Myers, Fla., where she befriended 59-year-old Pamela Huchinson -- a woman who bore a certain resemblance to her -- and killed her, too.
"The Dodge County Sheriff's Office and Dodge County Attorney's Office are preparing second-degree murder charges against Lois Riess for the March 2018 murder of her husband David Riess," the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension wrote in a Facebook post.
"Investigators believe Pamela Hutchinson may have been killed with the same firearm used to murder David Riess. Investigators are not aware of any connection between Lois Riess and Hutchinson."
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Police believe Riess plotted to kill Huchinson to steal her identity, as she stole her credit cards, her driver's license and her white Acura.
"This is the first time in my career that I've seen someone steal someone's identity and target them for the way they look, in order to murder them," Lee County Undersheriff Carmine Marceno told NBC News.
"This stone-cold killer was smiling like anyone's mother or grandmother when she approached our victim. And yet she's calculated, she's targeted and an absolute cold-blooded killer."
Riess was caught on a surveillance video in Ft. Myers Beach on April 5, smiling while wearing a light blue shirt.
Police said Riess, who is known to have had a history of gambling problems, should be considered armed and dangerous. Officials also said her killing spree may not be over.
