Photo: Instagram / US Marshal Service
Police are actively searching for her.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Jun 09, 2022
Investigators are searching for the suspected murderer of Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson, Kaitlin Armstrong, after she was "mistakenly released" from police custody.
Police have been searching for Armstrong, 34, since May 17. She is being accused of first-degree murder after shooting Wilson, a famed cyclist, to death at an Austin home on May 11.
Kaitlin Armstrong was last seen in Newark, New Jersey — one week after Anna Moriah Wilson's murder.
The Texas yoga teacher and real estate agent was reportedly dropped off at a New Jersey airport just one day after Austin police obtained an arrest warrant.
In a news release, The U.S. Marshals Service said Armstrong was dropped off at Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18.
"A search of outbound flights at the Newark airport revealed no reservations had been made under the name Kaitlin Marie Armstrong," marshals said, not providing further details.
Armstrong, who was also a cyclist, was connected to Wilson through her boyfriend, a professional cyclist sponsored by Red Bull, according to an affidavit composed by the Austin Police Department.
Armstrong's boyfriend, Colin Strickland, was romantically involved with Wilson.
In a statement to a reporter with KVUE, Strickland said he had been in a relationship with Armstrong but the two briefly broke up in the fall. During their breakup, he had a weeklong romantic relationship with Wilson.
Strickland said after he reconciled with Armstrong, he and Wilson remained friends and had a platonic relationship, which sparked a note of jealousy within Armstrong.
According to the affidavit, Wilson arrived in Austin on May 10 and stayed with a friend. The next day, she left her friend's house to swim with Strickland.
The two grabbed food afterward and Strickland dropped her back off at her friend's house around 8:36 p.m.
Surveillance footage obtained by authorities showed an SUV pulled up and stopped outside of the house a few moments later. The vehicle was identified as belonging to Armstrong.
When Wilson's friend returned home around 9:56 p.m., they found Wilson bleeding and unconscious. She suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.
Initially, Armstrong arrested on what police describe as a “misdemeanor warrant.” But did not respond to questions about why she was in the area of Wilson's home.
“Armstrong was mistakenly released from custody on the misdemeanor warrant because her date of birth in our report management system did not match the date of birth on the warrant,” police said in a press conference.
Austin police requested assistance from the marshals’ Lone Star Fugitive Task Force to find and arrest Armstrong. Later, investigators learned that Armstrong was at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport on May 14, days after the killing.
She boarded a flight to Houston and then caught a connecting flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
A wanted poster made by the U.S. Marshals says Armstrong is considered armed and dangerous.
"Kaitlin Armstrong is accused of a very serious crime that she needs to answer for," Susan Pamerleau, the U.S. marshal for Western Texas, said in a statement.
"The best thing she can do at this point, wherever she is, is surrender to authorities, so she can return safely to Austin and answer the charges against her. She needs to know the Marshals are not going to stop looking for her."
Armstrong's case has now been upgraded to "major case status," and a reward of up to $5,000 has been offered for information that leads to her arrest, the news release continued.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.