10x05 - Double Identity

[bunniefuu]

[radio operator speaking]

[woman speaking]

[police siren wails]

Very rarely do we see
homicides like this.

When I heard that my niece
had been k*lled,

I cried, I screamed,

because she meant
so much to me.

[David] My suspect's
on the run.

He's k*lled two already.

Is she gonna k*ll again?

Do we have a serial k*ller?

I'm in Fort Myers
for a few days. Yeah...

[narrator] 59-year-old
Pamela Hutchinson

is staying at
the Marina Village resort

to support
a grieving friend.

My friend's husband
passed away last week.

[narrator] Pam has plans
to attend the memorial
ceremony.

I said I'd come
down here

and help her scatter
the ashes. Yeah...

[Mona] Pam is a close friend
to anyone.

She was that kind
of person.

She was a beautiful lady
with a big heart.

She was giving, she was kind,

she was very independent.

[narrator] Recently divorced
after 20 years of marriage,

Pam is starting a new life
in Southwest Florida

But I'm getting the keys
to my new condo

when I'm done here.

Pamela was looking
for a beautiful place

on the beach.

That's what she liked.

She liked fishin',

so she searched high and low
for a beautiful condo

and she finally found it
at that particular area.

You should come down
and see it.

[Mona] She had called me,
and invited me and my sister

to go to her new condo when
she moved in, in two weeks.

We were very, very close.

I couldn't wait
to get there.

You'll love it
down here.

[Mona] She was so excited
and so happy.

We talked an hour and a half.
It was wonderful.

[seagulls squawking]

[phone ringing]

[radio operator speaking]

[woman speaking]

[Carmine]
The county sheriff's office
receives that call.

This is an area where people
just go to the beach,

enjoy life, and we don't
get calls like this.

[siren wailing]

Immediately our investigators
and deputies respond

because we only get
one chance,

and we have to do it right
from the very beginning.

[David] When I arrived
on scene, I made
contact with the manager

who made the initial discovery
of the victim.

The manager confirmed
for me

that the victim
did check in alone.

She had only made
a reservation for one.

[narrator] Detective Foraker
learns the condo

is registered
to Pamela Hutchinson.

[David] I went up
to the fourth floor

to room 404,
our victim's room.

I remember walking down
and making entry,

and just getting a feel
for the crime scene.

The key pieces of evidence

that were apparent to me
from the beginning

were the towel
at the base of the door

once you actually made entry
into the bathroom.

I found the body
on the floor.

I noticed that a towel
appeared to have been draped

over the victim.

Why was it put there?
Who put it there?

[narrator] The medical
examiner arrives.

Good morning.

[narrator] The victim,

confirmed to be
Pamela Hutchinson,

has been dead
for more than 24 hours.

[David] We were able
to roll the body over

and we were able
to see that there was

a g*nsh*t defect
to the back side
of our victim.

She was sh*t from behind.

What is that?

We were actually able
to recover a projectile

that lodged through
the front shoulder area

into the victim's
bra strap.

[Carmine] We have a victim,
apparent g*nsh*t wound.

We have towels
by the doorway

so that, that would prevent

the odor of the deceased
coming out.

The scene itself
looks completely staged.

[narrator] There was
no sign of a struggle

or evidence
of a forced entry.

[David] This had to have
been someone that

was friendly enough with her
to get inside the room.

There were two bedrooms
and two bathrooms

in this condominium,

and it looked as if
someone had actually slept

in the spare bedroom.

We were looking
for personal information,

personal identifiers,

and we noticed
going through her purse

that a bunch of those cards
and drivers' licenses

identification had actually
been removed.

No cards? No IDs?

So we're thinking
whoever was in here
had taken it with them.

Inside the purse...

Look at this.

...was a receipt from
the Smokin Oyster Brewery,

which is a restaurant
just down the street
from the condo,

and it appeared as if she had
just eaten there recently.

Go ahead down there.
See what you can find.

[police radio chatter]

[narrator]
Detective Foraker notifies

Pamela Hutchinson's
family.

[phone ringing]

[Mona] I was at home...

Hello.

...and he began to tell me
what happened.

I couldn't believe it.
I was distraught.

I couldn't imagine who would
have done something like that.

[sobbing]

It was an awful shock.

I cried, I screamed.

Pam was very important to me,
and I loved her so much.

She was a sweet girl.

She was a marvelous girl.

She had lots of love,
and she gave lots of love.

[David] We had
a k*ller on the loose.

A k*ller that may still be
in the area,

that may do this again.

We knew it was
very urgent

to locate the suspect
and bring him to justice.

[police radio chatter]

[narrator] Investigators
canvass the area

and look for surveillance
cameras.

[David] Going through
the purse,

we found the receipt
for Smokin Oyster Brewery,

so, I figured that was
a great place to start.

Hey, I'm Detective Rotan.
I noticed your CC TV footage.

I was wondering
if I could please see that.

[narrator] Detective Rotan
focuses on April 5th,

the last time Pamela
bought dinner.

[David] The video shows
that my victim was there.

She had a pink baseball
cap on, white t-shirt.

[Narrator] Pamela can be seen
in the bottom left of frame.

State law requires her
image to be blurred.

[David] She's there
by herself.

She was having conversations
with several different people.

Wow, wow, wow.
Pause it right there.

Zoom in.

[David] There was
a male with a green shirt

that she was
communicating with.

Keep playing.

Zoom in.

[David] Around 5:15 p.m.,

we see a woman
with blond hair,

a blue top, with sunglasses
on her head

walking down
towards the victim.

They all seem to be
conversing together,

having a good time.

This woman sits down
next to her,

and they start
communicating.

Body language shows that
there was no alarm.

There wasn't anything that
threw up a red flag
to my victim.

They were high-fiving
each other,

and just enjoying
themselves.

Fast forward.
We'll what happens.

[David] The video
showed later on that

the male actually left,

leaving just the two
females together.

They continue
in their conversation.

They continue having
dinner.

I am growing very suspicious
of who is this woman.

I see my victim there.

She's down here
by herself,

and then this woman comes
and befriends her.

They become fast friends,
and things kinda move quickly.

I needed to find out who
this person was

and speak with her.

Okay, keep playin' it.

[David] Around 7:42 p.m.,

they seem to be done
with their food.

They're done
with their drinks.

They're saying goodbye
to the fellow people
that they have met,

and we see them
both leave together.

Thank you very much.

When we first watched
the video

of this unknown female
accompanying our victim,

I knew right away

this person is gonna be key
to this investigation

and we have to know
exactly who she is.

[David] Over the course
of the investigation,

I spoke several times
with the manager

at Marina Village.

Do you have
her check-in details?

She provided information
of when she checked in,

what type of vehicle was she
driving, a white Acura.

There are several surveillance
cameras in the whole complex.

There was a camera

at every level
of the condominium.

Once I saw those
video cameras,

I knew that
that's gold right there.

That tells me exactly
what I want to see,

and it does
the timeline for me.

Let's see when she
first arrived.

The victim checked in
on April 3rd, 2018.

Can we see her room?

[David] From the camera angle
on the fourth floor

we were able to see people
going onto that floor.

[detective] Is that her?

Okay, can you move back
the frame a couple?

[David] At 3:49 p.m.,

we can see our victim
walk into her room
with her luggage.

Everything
seemed normal.

There wasn't anything
out of place

or anything
that caught my eye.

[narrator] Detective Rotan
joins Detective Foraker

to help analyze
the footage.

[David] Let's look
at the next day.

[narrator] They check
the surveillance
from April 5th,

after Pamela left the bar
with the unknown female.

[man] That looks like
the same woman
as at the bar.

Are you sure?

Can you play that again?

Positive.

[David] The hair, the height,
the weight, the clothing,

I'm saying to myself,

it's gotta be
the same woman.

We were able to link up
the dates and times,

and see that the lady
at the Smokin Oyster Brewery

was also the lady that we see
on video footage

at Marina Village
with our victim.

[narrator] They leave the bar
at 7:43 p.m.,

and arrive at Pam's condo
three minutes later.

Keep it playing.

Woah, play that again.

[David] Fast forward
to 8:43 p.m. on April 5th,

I see this unknown female
in the landing area,

but she doesn't leave
and go down the elevator.

She kinda stays
and stands around.

What is she doing?

[David] It appears as if she's
talking to herself.

She kinda looks distraught,
crying even.

She is leaning
over the railing,

kinda looking out
over the parking lot.

This woman that just left
my victim's room

appears distraught.

Something doesn't seem
right to me.

What do you think
is wrong?

[David] That's the last time
that I see her or anyone else

coming or going
from the room that night.

[David] This unknown female
that we're watching

through all this
surveillance footage,

once we find her,

we're gonna
find out who our k*ller is.

[police radio chatter]

[man] Let's take a look
at the next day.

Is that her?

[David] On the morning
of April 6th, around 6:09 a.m.

I see the unknown female
emerge from the room again.

She's got an orange top
on this time.

She's also carrying some
luggage with her.

Keep it playing.

[David] At 8:32 a.m.,

we then see her come back
from the room again,

but this time
she's in a blue top.

She's also carrying

what appears
to be a large bag.

It's full.

It kinda looks like clothing,
but I can't be sure.

Between the hours of 9:20
and about 1:30,

we see lots of video footage
of that unknown woman

coming and going
from the victim's room.

What is she doing?

[David] At approximately
12:41 p.m.,

she's kinda changed up
her style and her look again.

This time, she's wearing
a white-brimmed hat,

which I thought
was peculiar as well.

To me, it just screams
of she's trying to hide
her identity.

She's trying to assume
some other identity.

[narrator] While reviewing
the footage,

Pamela Hutchinson
is nowhere to be seen.

Investigators realize
this can only mean one thing.

Go back to 8:30
on the 5th.

[David] Her body language
on the video

appeared to me as if something
bad just happened.

This is my suspect.

This is when
the homicide occurred.

This is who I need
to go after.

[David] This woman
on video

quickly became
my prime suspect,

but our k*ller's
still on the loose.

I have no idea where
our suspect is.

Are they still in the area?

[narrator] Detectives turn
to the parking lot
surveillance

to see where the suspect
goes next.

Several of the cameras
show the parking lot.

[narrator] The unknown woman
is seen walking

towards a vehicle
at the rear of the lot.

[David] 12:42 p.m., we see
through the stairwell footage

that vehicle is
a white Cadillac Escalade.

Do you have any records
for that car?

[David]
The white Cadillac Escalade
drives out of the parking lot.

Okay, speed it up.

We never see
that vehicle again,

and so we're saying
to ourselves,

where did she put it?
Where did she go?

[narrator] Detectives
keep watching the footage.

[detective] Who's that?

Right there.

[David] And later on,

we see our unknown female
return on foot.

1:51 p.m., we see her
leave the room,

back down to the parking lot
to a white Acura.

[detective] Pause it there.

[narrator] The white Acura
belongs to the victim,
Pamela Hutchinson.

Our suspect goes on her way.

Gets in our victim's car,

like it's just another
beautiful day

in Southwest Florida,
as if nothing happened.

[David Foraker] By viewing
the video surveillance footage

I recalled an incident that
happened a day or two prior

A canine officer
was working at the time

on Fort Myers Beach.

They received
a be on the look out,

or what's known
as a BOLO,

for the white
Cadillac Escalade.

He came across this
vehicle on Fort Myers Beach.

[narrator] The officer
impounds the Escalade

and runs the tag.

[Foraker] The vehicle
is actually owned
by a husband and wife.

David Reiss and Lois Reiss.

She and the vehicle
were involved

in some sort of incident

up in Dodge County,
Minnesota.

And authorities up there
had alerted us,

letting us know that
she might be in the area.

[narrator] The car is the same
make and model

that the suspect was seen
driving at Marina Village.

[Foraker] I actually contacted
the authorities up there

and soon found out
that Lois Reiss

was a person of interest
in a homicide investigation.

[narrator] The homicide
victim was the owner
of the Escalade,

Lois' husband,
54-year-old, David Reiss.

Law enforcement first
became aware

of this case, uh,
through a 911 call.

An associate of Dave Reiss

hadn't seen him
in a number of days

and was concerned

and essentially called
in a welfare check.

Deputies showed up
at the house.

Walked around the perimeter
of the house.

Came to a bathroom window
and the window was open

and they thought
that was unusual

so they peered inside.

And saw Dave Reiss's body
on the floor of the bathroom.

[radio bleeping]

Dave's body was mostly
into the closet,

his feet were laying out
the door

and into the bathroom area

and he was covered
with towels.

Dave had suffered from
two g*nsh*t wounds

from a small caliber
handgun.

They weren't able
to locate the firearm used.

They assumed
it was a homicide

and not a su1c1de.

It didn't appear that
there had been any struggle.

There hadn't been any
forced entry into the home.

[narrator] Dave's wife
of 26 years, Lois,

had told colleagues that
Dave was away at
a fishing tournament.

[Brian Smith] Lois was
also missing,

they didn't know
where she was at.

But associates of Dave
had seen her driving away

in Dave's Cadillac Escalade

and that he was
supposed to be driving.

[narrator]
After Dave's m*rder

investigators look closely
at the couple's relationship

and life in Blooming Prairie.

The community went
into shock

when they found out about
Dave being m*rder*d.

I met Lois and Dave

when they first came
to town in 2004.

-Hey.
-Thanks.

[Tess Koster]
Very sweet, friendly couple.

My husband and I would
sit with them,

have a drink or a beer.

Lois always liked
to talk about

her grandkids and her kids.

Dave was a jolly,
happy person.

Loved to fish.

[Smith] Everything
seemed normal.

But Lois did have
a gambling addiction

and she had lost, uh, hundreds
of thousands of dollars

in the casinos.

And it created a lot
of problems

between her and Dave.

To the point that Dave
had essentially cut her off

from all finances.

[Koster] Rumors around town

were that they were starting
to fight and argue

about Lois'
gambling problems.

I thought that Lois had
something to do with
it right away.

[narrator] Analysis
of bank records

reveals the week Dave d*ed

Lois withdrew $11,000
from his account.

[Smith] Through the course
of the investigation

it kind of became apparent
that the primary suspect

was, uh, was gonna be Lois,
in this case.

[narrator] In Florida,
Detective Foraker

now has a possible name
for his suspect.

Lois Reiss.

[Foraker] Once I had
that name

and I started getting
photographs of her

and comparing it with
what I saw on video

I believed I finally
figured out

who my suspect was.

Who this unknown
female was.

I was astounded when
I heard the similarities

between the case
in Minnesota

and the case down
in Florida.

It was just shocking to me.

[narrator] The position
of the victims.

The small caliber handgun.

And the use of towels
all match.

[Carmine Marceno]
Lois Reiss likely k*lled
in Minnesota

and I start to think
as sheriff,

what exactly do we have here?

Is this an isolated incident?

Is there a k*ller on the run?

Is she gonna k*ll again?

Do we have a serial k*ller?

[narrator] In the days
leading up to
Pamela Hutchinson's death

investigators in Minnesota
had been seeking Lois Reiss

in connection with
the m*rder of her husband.

[investigator] Okay, I'll see
if I can track her.

[narrator] Investigators
discover that Lois

frequents a local casino.

Okay, I'll reach out
to agencies in the area.

[narrator] And officers
were dispatched

to try and locate her.

[Smith] Law enforcement
started canvassing the area

and one of the locations
they canvassed was a, uh,

a Kum & Go convenience store.

near the casino.

Investigators reviewed
the video footage

at the convenience store

They see a woman
with gray hair

wearing a striped cardigan

going in to
the convenience store

They identify Lois
as the individual

having a conversation with
the gas station attendant.

[cashier speaking]

Lois had asked the attendant,
"how do I get south?"

And that's kind of, like,
where law enforcement

lost her trail, was there.

She'd gone south
and we didn't know where.

Our biggest question
was, well,

who does she know
that's south?

She's gotta know somebody

and we need to figure out
who that individual is.

[Koster] I was
planning on cleaning

the garage that day

and so I put
on my work clothes

and went down and started
cleaning out the garage.

About 1:30 in the afternoon
a white Cadillac Escalade

pulled up in my driveway
and someone got out.

And she looks up
and our eyes met

and it was Lois.

Well, by then we're
hearing that for sure,

Lois had something to do
with Dave's m*rder.

And I'm thinking,

there's a m*rder*r
in my driveway.

She looked me in the eye

and she realized
that I saw her

and shook her head
and said, "wrong house,
wrong house."

And got in her car
and quick drove away.

[narrator] Tess calls 911.

[phone ringing]

[911 operator speaking]

[Koster speaking]

[911 operator speaking]

[Koster speaking]

[911 operator speaking]

[Koster speaking]

[narrator] Deputies
attend the scene

but find no trace of Lois.

I was terrified.

Who knows what
could happen next.

Maybe she's trying
to find a place
to sleep for the night?

She could've watched us,
robbed us, m*rder*d us.

Would I have been
the next one in line?

[narrator] Three days
after this sighting

Pamela Hutchinson was
m*rder*d in her condo.

-Come on in, sit down.
-[Koster] Thank you.

[narrator] In Tess Koster,

detective Foraker now
has a key witness

who might be able to identify
his unknown suspect.

A couple of clips I'd
like you to look at.

[Koster] Sure, of course.

She had her same long,
platinum hair.

The same eyes and nose.

The same way
she swings her hair,

that one was a definite.

'Cause she always
did do that.

That's Lois, Lois Reiss.

I 100% identified Lois
in every one of them.

[Foraker] Tess Koster
confirmed for me

that the last person
that is seen

with my victim
is Lois Reiss.

[Smith] We're all kind
of amazed

at the way that the events
had kind of unfolded

that here you have
a grandma

with a gambling addiction
from Minnesota

traveling across the country

and committing then two
separate murders

That's when we
elevate this case

to a major case status.

It's not just Minnesota
looking for Lois anymore.

It's the entire nation.

[Foraker] I'm very
concerned at this point

knowing that she was
a couple of days ahead of us.

Just stay in touch.

[narrator] Detectives
work to track Lois

via Pamela Hutchinson's
missing bank cards and ID.

[Foraker]
Through the transactions

we can see that
the victim's information

was used to withdraw money

from a Wells Fargo
on Fort Meyers Beach.

[narrator] Investigators
grab still images

from the bank's
surveillance cameras

from the day Pamela's
card was used.

[Foraker] The video footage
showed our suspect

in some of the same attire

that we saw on
video surveillance

at Marina Village, especially
with the white brimmed hat.

Using the victim's identity

and making a withdrawal
of $5,000

to then take with her
before she leaves the area.

I'll get a hold
of the Marshal.

[narrator] Investigators
believe that Lois

could be fleeing the area
in Pamela Hutchinson's Acura

so they call Marshal Smith.

Yeah, I'll see if I can
trace the vehicle.

[Smith] One of the things
we take a real close
look at

is license plate readers.

Every now and then
we get a snapshot

of where this vehicle's been.

[Foraker] We see
her moving north

through license plate readers.

We also know
the credit card information

was used at a Hilton
in Ocala, Florida.

Detective Foraker.

Would I be able to see your
CCTV footage from the sixth?

All right, let's see
what you got.

We see a white female

wearing a blue shirt,
a white hat.

Walking in to the Hilton.

We had a good idea

that it might be Lois Reiss,
our suspect.

Is there any other angles?

Yeah, that's definitely her.

We can see a straight
on sh*t of Lois Reiss,

she's checking in using
the victim's information.

Did she park her vehicle here?

[Foraker] The camera footage
outside in the parking lot

also showed me
that she's still

actively using the victim's
vehicle as well.

[narrator] Lois orders
room service

with Pamela Hutchinson's
card and signs her name.

[Foraker] Not only
is she willing to k*ll

but then she's using
the victim's information

and her identity
to make her getaway.

[Smith] We knew
we were getting close

but it was frustrating 'cause
she was always

one or two steps ahead.

[narrator] Lois continues
north and west

before crossing
the state line.

She's left Florida.

The transaction history
showed us that

the victim's information
was used at a local store

along the highway
in Louisiana.

We see in the video footage
a woman with blond hair,

a blue top, she's wearing
the same hat.

So we were able to be
connecting all these dots,

seeing that it's Lois Reiss
and she's now using

our victim's money
and her identify,

her personal information,

over in Louisiana.

Video surveillance
showed Lois

attempting to use
the victim's information

and it was actually
declined at that point.

Okay, what is her next step?

Where is she gonna go
and what is she gonna do

once she runs out of money?

[Smith] You can see
the pattern of travel

as she's traveling across
the southern United States

and we think she's heading
for the Mexico border.

We've got a problem.

And we learn our
suspect's in Texas.

And we say, "why?

Why is she in Texas?"

Is she running
to flee the country?

Well, you can run
but you can't hide.

This case became huge.

I got calls from everywhere.

People were in fear

that there was
a k*ller on the loose.

The media's putting pressure.

U.S. Marshals
are actively involved

in a national search
for this dangerous fugitive.

Reiss is considered
armed and dangerous

and should not be
approached if located.

[Smith] So on the evening
of April 20th...

[phone ringing]

...I get a phone call.

Hello.

It's a deputy in
the Brownsville office

with the Marshal Service

You found her?

And they had just received
a tip that Lois Reiss

was spotted at a restaurant
in the South Padre Island

and they were going out
to investigate.

[police sirens wailing]

[muffled police radio]

[Foraker]
Law enforcement responded

a few minutes after
the tip came in

and they arrived on scene.

[Smith] After I received
the phone call

it's just, you know...

...anxiously waiting.

[Foraker] They actually
located Lois at the bar

having drinks with a couple
of other men.

[Smith] They kind
of size up the situation.

And they go up to her.

She just, you know,
kind of stood up

and put her hands
behind her back

and didn't fight,
didn't say anything.

We got her.

The team down there

described it like, Lois just
had no emotion.

She kind of expected
it almost.

[narrator]
The following morning

Detective Foraker flies
to Texas to interview Lois.

[Foraker] I would
have loved to have sat down

and just let her,
you know,

say whatever she
wanted to me.

Unfortunately for us
she didn't talk.

There was nothing
behind the eyes.

It was very cold.

Evil almost.

[narrator] Investigators
obtain a search warrant

for Lois' hotel room.

[investigator speaking]

[Foraker] I remember
once we opened that door

there was just stuff
everywhere.

You would think that
maybe, like,

ten or 12 people
were living in there

based on the amount
of clothing, luggage.

We actually located
in the motel room

a nine millimeter
and a 22 caliber handgun.

We are confident that one
of those is the m*rder w*apon

based upon the caliber
that we know was used.

We were able to locate
the victim's clothing.

Her sunglasses.

Her personal information,
her driver's license.

The evidence that I found
in the motel room

just solidified everything
that I already knew.

I believe that Lois was
actively looking for
her next target.

[narrator] Investigators
develop a theory

on how Lois'
crime spree unfolded.

After fighting over
gambling debts

Lois ambushed and sh*t
husband Dave.

[g*nshots]

She took his car and money
and traveled to Florida.

Where she targeted
Pamela Hutchinson

knowing their similar looks

would make it easy
to steal her identity.

[Marceno] Lois Reiss
looks like anybody's
grandmother.

And I know she's a wolf
in sheep's clothing.

The video surveillance
in this case,

the surveillance
at the bar.

The surveillance of her
going in and out of the room.

The utilization
of the victim's credit card
and vehicle.

Everything comes together

to make that rock solid case.

[narrator] In December 2012
in Florida,

Lois Reiss is charged
with the first degree m*rder

of Pamela Hutchinson.

She pleads guilty

and is sentenced
to life without parole.

In Minnesota, in August 2020,

Lois receives an additional
life sentence

for the m*rder of her husband,
David Reiss.

Dave was such
a happy, fun loving guy

it was just so sad
to hear the loss

of such a nice person.

[Mona Sellers Sites]
It was a great feeling

to know that Pam's m*rder*r
had been caught and tried

and will be in prison
the rest of her life.

But that doesn't
bring back Pam.

I think she took
advantage of Pam

because Pam liked
to make people happy.

And she loved to share
with people.

Pam often said that
only a few people

will leave footprints
in your heart

and that's how I feel.

I feel I have a footprint
in my heart.