They called her Losing Streak Lois, a nickname whispered among the casino staff. Beneath the moniker was Lois Riess, a 64-year-old grandmother from Minnesota with an insatiable appetite for gambling and a remarkable talent for losing. Her losses weren’t confined to the tables; soon, she began pilfering from her husband and their family business, desperate to fuel the addiction.
The desperation escalated tragically on March 23, 2018. Lois Riess parked three bullets into her husband, David, and vanished. Predictably, her first act as a fugitive wasn’t to disappear into anonymity, but to seek the flashing lights and ringing bells of another casino – where, inevitably, she lost again.
Her journey led her to Florida, where she encountered Pamela Hutchinson, a 59-year-old woman she met in a Fort Myers bar. Lois stole Pamela’s identity and drained her accounts before continuing her flight. Losing Streak Lois’s run finally ended in a casino parking lot in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The story resonated with a chilling echo of a case unfolding in Brant County. An 82-year-old farmer, Gordon Oughtred, was found dead in his farmhouse on November 24, 2022, lying in a pool of blood. His wife, 83-year-old Elfgard “Elfi” Oughtred, now stands accused of second-degree murder.
Evidence revealed a pattern of marital strife fueled by Elfgard’s gambling. Their son, Warren Oughtred, testified about missing funds and his stepmother’s frequent visits to Elements Casino in Brantford. Just six months before the murder, Gordon had reportedly warned Elfgard: “If you want to go back to the casino, pack your bags and go live there.”
Warren’s concern grew in the days leading up to his father’s death. He urged Gordon to review his bank statements, but the elderly farmer claimed he hadn’t received them. Warren was stunned, warning his father that even a few thousand dollars missing could indicate a serious problem.
Elfgard initially told a neighbor, James McLellan, that her husband had suffered a fall. But McLellan immediately recognized the story didn’t hold up. Gordon’s head was “distorted,” the result of multiple, brutal blows. Paramedics confirmed the severity of the wounds – massive head trauma and copious amounts of blood, along with facial cuts and a black eye.
While Elgard’s daughter attempted to portray Gordon as an abusive alcoholic, the autopsy and other testimonies contradicted this claim. Rita Huellemann testified that her mother, “fed up” with the situation, retrieved a hammer from the garage and deliberately struck her husband.
A forensic analysis revealed that in the six months prior to the murder, nearly $9,000 had been withdrawn from Elfgard’s accounts in cash and credit card advances, with a clear trail leading to purchases and withdrawals at Elements Casino. The trial is ongoing, and all charges remain unproven.
We often associate gambling-related violence with desperate individuals squandering their life savings. But these cases reveal a darker side – a destructive compulsion that can escalate to unimaginable acts. Losing Streak Lois, facing a lifetime behind bars, may have, in a twisted sense, found a kind of luck. The alternative, a final, irreversible gamble, was far more perilous.
