On Sunday, tragedy struck in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Twenty-two-year-old newlywed Keris Riebel was working in a Dollar Tree location when a man came into the store wielding a machete knife. According to local police reports, the man entered the store located at 1120 Wyandot Ave. and used the machete to kill the 22-year-old newlywed in cold blood. The suspect in the murder case is 27-year-old Bethel Bekele, who allegedly came into the Dollar Tree armed with a machete and used the knife to hack at the newlywed several times, leading to her untimely death.
Bystanders did the right thing and called the local police. These people reported that a man had entered the Dollar Tree location in Upper Sandusky and used the machete to attack the dollar store employee. When police and rescue crews arrived at the scene, it was too late. Riebel was already dead when first responders arrived at the scene, and the suspect had fled the Dollar Tree before authorities were able to arrest him.
Fortunately, police officers were able to go hunting for the suspect. They found him a short while later on the 100 block of South Fifth Street. He was sitting in a parked car that was located outside of the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office as though he was prepared to turn himself in for the horrible crime he committed in the dollar store.
When officers approached Bekele, he surrendered to authorities. Police arrested him and charged him with the murder of 22-year-old Keris Riebel.
Right now, detectives are looking into the murder to see if it was a random attack or if Riebel and Bekele had known themselves prior to the assault that ended in death. Meanwhile, local community members cannot believe that violent crime occurred in their neighborhood.
One Ohio local said, “It’s terrifying to see something like this in Upper Sandusky because this is a nice community.”
Riebel’s husband, Jordan Riebel, is devastated. He is taking time off work to grieve the sudden loss of his beloved young wife. In order to help him in his time of need, Keris Riebel’s aunt has launched a GoFundMe account seeking donations from generous people to help support her funeral expenses as well as cover lost income for Jordan’s time off work to grieve.
The victim had recently graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and was eager to launch her career. She was working at Dollar Tree to help cover expenses for the time being, but her career aspirations were so much grander than working in a dollar store.
Her aunt said that the newlyweds were eager to start a family together. However, their future was “ripped apart from the both of them in a matter of seconds.”
Wynford Local Schools called alum Riebel “a beautiful soul, with a faith-filled heart. 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.”
