Newlywed, 22, killed in machete attack while working at Dollar Tree, Ohio cops say
A 22-year-old newlywed was killed during a New Year’s Day machete attack at a Dollar Tree, Ohio police say.
Officers in Upper Sandusky found Keris Riebel dead at the store where she worked following the attack at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release.
An investigation revealed 27-year-old Bethel Bekele entered the Dollar Tree and approached Riebel, police said. Bekele then struck Riebel “numerous times with the machete,” according to Upper Sandusky police.
Police were called for a report of “a man waving a machete around inside the store” after striking the employee.
Bekele was found about a mile from the store and was detained, police said. He was charged with murder.
A motive for the killing is unclear, and police are investigating whether Bekele and Riebel knew one another.
Riebel was a 2019 graduate of Wynford High School in Bucyrus, about 20 miles east of Upper Sandusky.
“Keris was a beautiful soul, with a faith-filled heart,” the school district said. “She exuded genuine kindness to everyone she met and her smile was unforgettable. Keris was taken way too soon and will forever live in the hearts of the Wynford community.”
Riebel and her husband, Jordan, enjoyed their wedding celebration on Oct. 8, 2022.
A GoFundMe states Riebel recently graduated from college with a human resources degree, and she was looking forward to starting her career and having children with her husband.
“It was ripped apart from the both of them in a matter of seconds,” Jordan Riebel’s aunt said in the GoFundMe.
Family members told WBNS that Riebel “lit up the world with her smile.”
“Keris was the most genuine, kind, pure soul,” a loved one said on Facebook. “The senseless act of violence that took her young life is unimaginable.”
Upper Sandusky is about 60 miles north of Columbus.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 5:47 AM with the headline "Newlywed, 22, killed in machete attack while working at Dollar Tree, Ohio cops say."