Quiet Ohio town rocked by killing of newlywed Dollar Tree worker by machete-wielding attacker
The town has reportedly not recorded a murder since 2001
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Dollar Tree worker killed by a machete-wielding attacker on New Year's Day has shaken a small Ohio town that has not recorded a murder in more than 20 years.
Keris L. Riebel, 22, was slashed to death while working at the Upper Sandusky Dollar Tree a little more than two months after she was married, reports and officials said.
"It's terrifying to see something like this in Upper Sandusky, because this is a nice community," resident Jason Pierce told 10-TV.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Suspect Bethel M. Bekele, 27, reportedly entered the store before 4:30 p.m. waving the blade, then struck Riebel "numerous times with the machete," police said in a statement.
DOLLAR TREE EMPLOYEE MURDERED WITH MACHETE
Ohio newlywed Keris L. Riebel, 22, was killed while working at Dollar Tree on New Year's Day. The suspect reportedly attacked her with a machete. (Fox News )
Riebel had married her husband Jordan in October, according to local media reports, and had just graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in human resources.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Jordan and Keris were also looking forward to having children and most recently a puppy and starting their new lives together. It was ripped apart from the both of them in a matter of seconds," a GoFundMe page established by a family member states.
Police have characterized the killing as unprecedented, 10-TV reported. Police Chief Jared Lucas told Fox News Digital that this is the first murder the town has recorded since 2001.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Suspected machete murderer Bethel M. Bekele poses for his mugshot after allegedly killing Dollar Store employee Keris L. Riebel. (Upper Sandusky Police Department)
Bekele left the store before police arrived, but authorities were able to locate and arrest him. Chief Lucas told Fox News Digital that a charge and affidavit were filed into Upper Sandusky Municipal Court for one count of murder. The weapon was also recovered on the scene.
The police department also provided Fox News Digital with the 911 call made during the attack, when an unidentified caller said a cashier was struck in the back of the neck by a man wearing all black.
"He's wearing all black. He walked out … when we went into the car," the caller told 911 dispatch of the suspect.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"She fell down straight to the ground. He hit her in the back of the neck," the caller recounted of what happened to Riebel.
The Dollar Tree on East Wyandot Ave in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where a 22-year-old woman was killed. (Google Maps)
"At this time, the motive is unclear. Detectives are currently investigating what, if any, relationship exists between the victim and suspect," the Upper Sandusky Police Department said in a Facebook post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The community is mourning the loss of the young woman, who is remembered as a caring and outgoing person.
"I can’t imagine what they’re going through," Kevin Simonis, who shops at the Dollar Tree and knew Riebel, told Fox 8. "She was always so nice and so caring. Very bubbly, very outgoing and the type of person who’d, like, take the shirt off her back for anybody and not hurt a fly, honestly."
Friends and family also laid flowers outside the store in memory of Riebel.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}More charges against the suspect could follow upon the completion of an investigation being carried out by the Wyandot County Major Crimes Unit, according to the police department.