(MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.) — Two women wanted in Maryland for allegedly killing the mother of one of the suspects were captured in Ohio after an individual who offered to help them realized from media coverage that they were wanted for murder, authorities said.

The arrests came nearly three weeks after the victim, 67-year-old Hilde Henderson, is believed to have been killed at her apartment at a senior living community in Silver Spring, Maryland, authorities said.

Officers conducting a welfare check on May 26 found Henderson dead from blunt force trauma, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. She is believed to have been dead for four days, police said.

The victim’s daughter, 29-year-old Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, and the daughter’s girlfriend, 36-year-old Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, were subsequently identified as suspects in the homicide, police said. Police obtained an arrest warrant charging them both with first-degree murder and released their photos amid the search for the suspects.

Following a nationwide search, the two were ultimately arrested Wednesday in Genoa, Ohio, thanks to a local tip, police said.

A woman in Genoa unwittingly offered to help the couple, until she and her friend grew suspicious and learned of the ongoing manhunt by searching one of their names online, according to ABC Toledo affiliate WTVG.

Adrienne Behrman told WTVG that the suspects came into her workplace and told her they were homeless, so she offered to help and invited them to stay at her apartment.

“I’ve been down and out myself — homeless, without money, you know, just not wanting to be a charity case or anything like that, and I just felt like I was led to help them,” Behrman told the station.

Behrman recounted, though, that the more questions she asked them about where they were from and where they wanted to go, “things were not adding up.”

She told her concerns to a friend, Nikki Peters, who said she noticed that the last name of one of the suspects from a Cash App payment request for cigarettes didn’t match the name she had been told, WTVG reported.

“That didn’t make sense to me, because it was still Vanessa, but a different last name,” Peters told WTVG.

While searching Tjongarero-Henderson’s name online, Peters said she found wanted posts for the two women, WTVG reported.

“I almost passed out,” Peters told the station. “[Behrman] was cool, calm and collected, but I almost passed out.”

“That didn’t make sense to me, because it was still Vanessa, but a different last name,” Peters told WTVG.

While searching Tjongarero-Henderson’s name online, Peters said she found wanted posts for the two women, WTVG reported.

“I almost passed out,” Peters told the station. “[Behrman] was cool, calm and collected, but I almost passed out.”

Behrman said she called 911, WTVG reported.

“That orchestrated the whole thing the way that it needed to be done in order for them to be apprehended and no one else to be hurt,” Behrman told the station.

Tjongarero-Henderson and Raebel are being held at the Ottawa County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Maryland, authorities said.

Police have not released details on what evidence led them to identify the couple as suspects in the case.

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West Palm Beach, Fla (CBS12) — Bethel, Ohio, Police Chief Chad Essert was arrested in Florida on Thursday after a Clermont County grand jury indicted him on 70 felony sex-related charges involving allegations from more than 15 years ago, authorities said.

Essert, 44, of Blanchester, was taken into custody without incident at 7:06 p.m. June 11 by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Investigations Section in Seminole, Florida, according to the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to the Pinellas County Jail, where he remained incarcerated while awaiting extradition back to Clermont County.

The indictment, also announced June 11, includes 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. All 70 charges are third-degree felonies.

If convicted on all counts, Essert could face a maximum sentence of 280 years in prison, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities said the alleged offenses occurred between 2005 and 2010, when Essert was an instructor with the Young Marines and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville. The victim was a student of Essert’s during that period, according to investigators.

The sheriff’s office said the alleged offenses occurred at multiple locations in Clermont and Hamilton counties.

See also: Delray Beach businessman accused of selling counterfeit designer bags again

Officials said the indictment is separate from and unrelated to an earlier investigation involving Essert that had been reported by local media.

“It takes tremendous courage for a victim to come forward, especially when the accused wears a badge and holds a position of authority,” Clermont County Sheriff Chris Stratton said in a statement. “Today’s indictment demonstrates that no one is above the law. Every victim deserves to be heard, and every allegation will be thoroughly investigated and pursued in accordance with the law.”

Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said the case reflected cooperation between his office and the sheriff’s office.

“This investigation is a perfect example of how victims are protected and served regardless of the name or title of the perpetrator,” Tekulve said. “The Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office worked seamlessly in this effort.”

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of similar conduct to contact law enforcement. Officials said information from victims and witnesses may assist the ongoing investigation.

Questions about the indictment or investigation should be directed to the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office at 513-732-7313.

PAULDING, Onio (WANE) – From the coastline along Maine to the Washington State shore, Jesse Ward is riding his bike across America.

The 4,300-mile trip is along the northern part of the United States.

The trip started on May 6 in Bangor, Maine. He hopes to reach his final destination of Anacortes, Washington in early August.

WANE 15 ran into Ward in Paulding, Ohio last week. He was almost back to his hometown of Payne, Ohio to visit family along his quest.

Ward, who now lives in Ashville, North Carolina, got into cycling in college and decided to go for a coast-to-coast trip about five years ago.

“As I was looking at different routes, following the Northern Tier route, I noticed that it actually went through my hometown, so that was pretty appealing, and it’s going through a lot of states I’ve never been to or thought about, so I thought that would be a great way to discover and see the country,” Ward said.

A tradition of cross-country rides is to dip the bike tires in one ocean at the beginning of the journey and dip them in the other ocean at the end. From Bangor, Ward rode to Bar Harbor, Maine to see the ocean before heading west again.

“I’ve never been to the Pacific, so I’ll swim, and I know that they have quite a few ferries that go up to the islands there, so I want to go discover some of that stuff too, but probably take a day off,” he laughed.

His road bike is designed to absorb road vibration and carry heavy loads. It also has 27 gears to help with climbs.

Ward is staying at hotels, AirBnBs and camping along the way.

He pushes through the challenges,

“Rainy days with lots of climbing are the hardest,” he said. “Back in New Hampshire and Vermont, I had about two and a half days of rain, and I had the most climbing during that spell as well.”

And he soaks in the majestic moments along the way.

“Niagara Falls, definitely. I went over to the Canadian side and saw the falls from there, and it was first time I’ve ever done that, so that was a really rewarding experience, like just felt like, you know, the peak of the mountain. It’s like you’re here. This is a really good, finale for that section of the country,” he said.

As of June 12, Ward was about half way finished and in Iowa. When his trip is over, he plans to take a train from Seattle back to Charlotte.

“Then I’ll either bike back home or I have some friends with trucks. They can come pick me up,” Ward laughed.