By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-14 14:27:28 | Updated at 2026-06-15 15:44:57
1 day ago
A couple on the run after allegedly murdering one of their moms were finally arrested after a good Samaritan who took them in quickly saw through their attempts to pass as homeless people in need.
Samantha Raebel, 36, and Vanessa Wahanganisa Tjongarero-Henderson, 29, were arrested on Thursday in connection with the killing of Tjongarero-Henderson’s 67-year-old mother, Hilde Henderson.
Montgomery County police responded to a welfare check at the Charter House, a senior living community in Silver Spring, Maryland, on May 26.
Officers discovered the 67-year-old unresponsive in her apartment and pronounced her dead at the scene.
An autopsy later determined Henderson's cause of death was 'blunt force trauma and the manner of death, homicide,' according to police. Detectives believe the mom was killed four days before her body was discovered.
Investigators said they uncovered substantial evidence identifying the suspects as Henderson’s daughter and her daughter’s girlfriend, leading to both women being charged with first-degree murder.
A month later, Ohio resident Adrienne Behrman alerted police after the two women showed up at her workplace - 450 miles away in Genoa - claiming to be homeless and seeking help.
Good Samaritan Adrienne Behrman (right) alerted police after the two women showed up at her workplace. Her friend Nikki Peters (left) became suspicious after she checked one of the woman's Venmo transactionss
or and called police. Samantha Raebel, 36, and Vanessa Wahanganisa Tjongarero-Henderson, 29, were arrested on Thursday in connection with the killing of Tjongarero-Henderson’s 67-year-old mother
'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 ABC13.
Behrman welcomed the women into her apartment and sought help from her church, but she said her concerns grew as she asked more questions about their situation.
'I started asking deeper questions about where they were coming from, where they wanted to go ... things were not adding up,' Behrman told the outlet.
The Good Samaritan later confided in her friend, Nikki Peters, who also noticed red flags about the two women.
'I instantly said, "what if they're murderers," cause I watch a lot of true crime, and everybody laughed at me,' Peters told the outlet.
Peters said a Cash App request for cigarette money led her to check the account, where she discovered the name attached to it did not match the identity the women had given.
'That didn’t make sense to me, ’cause it was still Vanessa, but a different last name,' Peters told the outlet.
Montgomery County police responded to a welfare check at the Charter House, a senior living community in Silver Springs, Maryland
Peters said a Cash App request for cigarette money led her to check the account, where she discovered the name attached to it did not match the identity the women had given
Authorities have not released a motive for the brutal killing
Peters said she searched the name online and found wanted posts matching the women.
She described Behrman as 'cool, calm and collected,' while she 'almost passed out' after the discovery.
Behrman immediately called 911. Genoa police confirmed the women were wanted and brought in assistance from Ottawa County and Elmore police before taking them into custody without incident. Authorities have not released a motive.
