23rd May 2000, a girl named Brandi Hicks approached the New Philadelphia, Ohio police authorities to state a horrifying encounter and experience. After listening, the police were taken aback by knowing the ordeal two girls faced, leaving one with injuries and the other potentially dead. So, what happened on the summer night of May 2000, and where is Matthew Vaca? It is time to go back to the past.

Elizabeth Reiser Death: The Complete Mystery

May 23rd 2000

On the night of 23rd May 200, two teenage girls – Elizabeth Reiser and Brandi Hicks plan to watch a movie and go down to the video parlor in New Philadelphia, Ohio, to rent one. Just like two ordinary teenage girls, they wanted to spend a good evening without knowing fate had something else in store for them.

In the video shop, they met a man named Matthew Vaca, who sounded desperate to get help from the girls and pleaded to ride him back home as he had no other way. He even offered them $20 in return for a ride. After some hesitation, the girls believed in that man and agreed to offer him a ride.

Their intention of helping a man resulted in an unexpected series of events. One of the teenage girls, Elizabeth Rieser or Liz Rieser, was scrubbed to death while her friend Brandi survived an attempted rape and murder. Within hours, the horrific incident was all over the Ohio community, leaving everyone shocked and surprised.

Must Read: Finding the Mysterious: Is Pedro Lopez Still Alive?

The Version of Brandi Hicks

Brandi, who approached the authorities to share this unfateful incident, told them how both the girls were abducted at gunpoint by Matthew Vaca. She said she was lucky that she could escape him, but Elizabeth was taken to an isolated field where Vaca killed her by slashing her throat.

Hicks informed the authorities that Vaca behaved normally when he approached for help but later kept changing his directions when in the car. Such sudden directional changes made the girls suspicious of his intentions and asked him to get down. But Vaca had a different plan in mind, and he suddenly pulled out a gun and asked Brandi to drive.

As per Hicks, Matthew asked her to drive towards an isolated field outside the town. After reaching there, he tied Brandi to the steering wheels using shoe laces and dragged Elizabeth out of the vehicle.

Brandi recalled the incident of sitting there and not being able to help her friend. She watched how he slashed her throat thrice and eventually killed her. According to the authorities, she had fairly significant incisions on her neck, and she would have died right away. According to forensic experts, the victim had been stabbed more than once.

Soon after murdering Reiser, Matthew returned to the car and drove Hicks to a railroad track above the Tuscarawas River. He pushed her out of the car, dragged her inside a railroad car, and tried to rape her.

Vaca used his knife to murder Elizabeth, which was broken in half, and thus had to use his shoelaces to strangle Hicks. However, Brandi decided to play smart and acted dead, which made Vaca believe and thus saved her life. He immediately threw her body into the river, giving Brandi a chance to escape from him.

As per her, she rushed to a hospital after escaping Vaca, where she contacted the police and shared what happened on that dreadful night.

Must Read: The Mysterious: Locating Allan Showery

What Happened to Matthew Vaca? Where Is He Now?

Police were able to trace Vaca as per the description shared by Hicks. He had a lengthy criminal past, and it was also known that he was on parole at the time. When Matthew appeared in court, he admitted guilt to all charges, and the judge gave him a life sentence. He is currently incarcerated in Manfield’s Ohio Correctional Institution.