Dawn Kriskewic was building a life around hairdressing and writing before she was fatally shot outside her Florida home.
VERO BEACH, Fla. — Days before her death, Dawn Kriskewic was known to friends and clients as a busy hairdresser and published romance author whose plans stretched months into the future. On Aug. 16, deputies found the 52-year-old critically wounded in the road near her home, beginning a homicide investigation that ended three days later with the arrest of a former boyfriend in West Virginia.
Authorities have charged Matthew Allen Waggle, 33, with first-degree murder and say he traveled to the Vero Beach area before Kriskewic was shot. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office has described the death as a domestic violence homicide and said Kriskewic recently ended an on-and-off relationship with Waggle. Investigators allege he came to her neighborhood by rideshare, was there for about 10 to 15 minutes and left after the shooting. U.S. Marshals arrested him Aug. 19 at a motel in Dunbar, West Virginia. The allegations have not been adjudicated, and Waggle is presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
Kriskewic’s friends offered a picture of a life that extended well beyond the circumstances of her death. Treasure Coast Newspapers reported that she was originally from New Jersey, had two children and worked cutting and styling hair in the Vero Beach area. A former partner, Vincent Bashore, said the two had dated for nearly five years and remained friends after separating. He described her as lively and active and said the beach was a place where she liked to relax. A client, Michelle Wagner, remembered Kriskewic as upbeat and careful in her professional work, someone who talked through hairstyles and what clients should expect before beginning.
Writing had also become an important part of Kriskewic’s life. She published the romance novel “Knew You Were Waiting” and had recently appeared at a book signing in Melbourne, according to local reporting. Bashore said she was close to finishing a second book. Wagner recalled that Kriskewic loved to cook as well as work with hair. The details provided by friends stood in contrast to the brief official descriptions that initially identified her only as the victim of a fatal shooting. They also showed why people who knew her spoke of appointments, creative projects and personal plans left unfinished.
Investigators say there were warning signs involving the relationship with Waggle shortly before the killing. Sheriff Eric Flowers said Kriskewic had ended the relationship and that Waggle moved away. According to Flowers, Kriskewic told co-workers at her salon that she did not want to see or speak with him. The sheriff quoted her as telling them, “If he calls, if he shows up, I want nothing to do with him. Tell him, I’m not here.” Flowers said Kriskewic appeared to understand that Waggle might return to the area. Authorities have not publicly detailed what led her to believe he could come back or whether she had previously contacted police about him.
The shooting was reported shortly after 8:40 a.m. Aug. 16 in the 500 block of First Street, an area south of the Vero Beach city limits. Deputies arriving after a 911 call found Kriskewic in the roadway with an apparent gunshot wound. They attempted emergency measures before she was taken by ambulance to a trauma center, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities later released redacted 911 audio from the aftermath. The sheriff’s office did not immediately disclose how many times Kriskewic had been shot, and responsible accounts of the case have not required graphic details to explain what investigators allege occurred.
Flowers said investigators obtained neighborhood surveillance images that helped establish the sequence before and after the shooting. According to the sheriff, Waggle had reached the Orlando area by Greyhound bus, then used Uber to travel to the neighborhood where Kriskewic lived. Cameras showed him walking after being dropped off nearby, Flowers said. Investigators allege Waggle approached the residence, briefly interacted with Kriskewic and shot her. They say he then left the area and returned to Orlando in another rideshare vehicle before continuing north by bus.
There is a discrepancy in published accounts about where Waggle’s trip toward Florida originated. Vero News reported that Flowers said he traveled from Arizona, where other reports say Waggle had previously lived. Law&Crime described him as traveling from West Virginia, while WPTV said the starting point was unknown in its account of the same investigation. The available official Marshals Service release does not settle that issue. What the principal sources consistently support is that investigators say Waggle arrived in the Orlando area by bus and used a rideshare vehicle for the trip to and from Indian River County.
The case then shifted from a local homicide investigation to a nationwide search. The sheriff’s office identified Waggle publicly and warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. Detectives used interviews, surveillance material and data from automated license-plate readers to follow vehicles associated with his movements. Flowers said the department’s Real Time Crime Center helped identify the rideshare cars involved. By Aug. 19, investigators had obtained a first-degree murder warrant. The U.S. Marshals Service said its Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force developed information that Waggle had reached West Virginia and coordinated with federal agents there.
The investigation also raised questions about a gun found near the scene and Waggle’s former wife. Flowers said the recovered 9 mm Ruger pistol believed by investigators to have been used in the killing belonged to the former wife. Detectives learned she had been communicating with Waggle and making calls associated with the West Virginia motel, the sheriff said. She was taken into custody there and cooperated with investigators. At the Aug. 20 news conference, Flowers said no charges had been filed against her and investigators did not yet know whether she had any advance knowledge of what Waggle allegedly intended to do.
Federal agents found Waggle at the Super 8 motel in Dunbar on Aug. 19. The Marshals Service said members of its CUFFED Task Force arrested him without incident at about 8 p.m. The agency confirmed that the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office had secured a first-degree murder warrant earlier that day. Officials in Florida said detectives were working to bring Waggle back to Indian River County. His arrest came about three days after deputies first encountered Kriskewic in the roadway, a rapid progression that Flowers publicly credited to cooperation among local detectives, crime analysts, witnesses and federal fugitive investigators.
Even as authorities emphasized investigative technology and the speed of the arrest, friends focused on what had been lost. Kriskewic had clients who expected to see her again, a second book reportedly nearing completion and family outside Florida who had to be notified before authorities released her name. The sheriff’s office said that notification process caused a delay in publicly identifying her after the shooting. The available reporting does not include a public statement from her immediate family, and their views should not be inferred from comments made by investigators or friends.
The latest reliable information reviewed for this report confirms Waggle’s arrest on the murder warrant but does not establish a final court outcome. Initial official reports said he was jailed in West Virginia pending extradition to Florida. Questions also remain about the precise route he took before arriving in Orlando and whether anyone else knowingly assisted him in connection with the alleged crime. Those issues remain matters for investigators and, where charges are filed, the courts. Waggle has not been convicted of killing Kriskewic and remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.