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In May 2022, professional cyclist Moriah Wilson was murdered. The main suspect is a yoga teacher who disappears without a trace after the crime: Kaitlin Armstrong. A hot trail leads two US marshals to Costa Rica, but finding Armstrong is more difficult than expected.

Now, U.S. Marshals Damien Fernandez and Emir Perez have revealed in an interview with “48 Hours” how they tracked down the fugitive. The story is strange:

The needle in the haystack

It’s hard to believe that there is apparently a town in Costa Rica where, according to the two US marshals, all the women look the same as their suspect. According to a tip, Armstrong is said to have stayed at this exact location.

Security cameras show her at Newark Airport, from where she is said to have left the US using her sister’s passport. A month after Armstrong’s disappearance, Deputy U.S. Marshals Damien Fernandez and Emir Perez received a tip that Armstrong was hiding in Santa Teresa. In an interview with “48 Hours,” the two U.S. marshals explained that it was incredibly difficult to find Armstrong because there were many tourists who looked like Armstrong in the small town of Santa Teresa.

What the two marshals didn’t know at the time was that the former yoga teacher had undergone multiple cosmetic surgeries and changed her name several times, making the search even more difficult. They even sent an employee to yoga classes in Santa Teresa in hopes of encountering Armstrong, but to no avail.

When the US Marshals were about to give up, they decided on one last strategy: they posted a job opening for a yoga instructor on a local Facebook page – Armstrong bit.

When Perrez shows up at the agreed meeting point, he recognizes the fugitive despite her cosmetic surgery. Perrez told “48 Hours”:

Another attempt to escape

Armstrong was arrested by local police and deported back to the United States. While awaiting trial, the suspect tried to escape again. “48 Hours” reports that Armstrong was accompanied by officers to a doctor’s appointment when she escaped again.

However, she did not get far and was caught again a few minutes later. It is unknown why a doctor’s appointment was necessary at all.

Emotions during negotiations

The murder case in November 2023 revived sadness over the crime. Wilson’s mother was especially appalled. The 35-year-old yoga instructor was sentenced to 90 years in prison, which she will serve at Lucille Plane State Prison in Dayton.

But why did this act happen in the first place?

Love affair and jealousy

The victim, Moriah Wilson, was in a relationship with Armstrong’s partner Colin Strickland while the two were briefly separated, according to “48 Hours.” Strickland, 35, is also a professional cyclist.

However, the romantic relationship between him and Wilson was short-lived, the professional cyclist wrote in a post on social media. Nevertheless, the two maintained contact and Strickland had Wilson registered under an assumed name.

On May 10, 2022, just a week before her 26th birthday, Wilson arrived in Austin, Texas to prepare for the Gravel Locos bicycle race – a race in which she was considered the favorite. Wilson and Strickland, who lived with Armstrong in Austin, met for a swim and dinner, then took Strickland to a friend’s house, where she was staying. Strickland lied to his girlfriend about his whereabouts.

That same evening, Wilson was murdered at her friend’s home. Suspicion quickly fell on Strickland’s girlfriend Kaitlin Armstrong. During interrogation she refused to make a statement, but several clues clearly pointed to her. Even before the arrest warrant was issued, Kaitlin Armstrong disappeared. The 43-day manhunt began. The Public Prosecution Service describes Armstrong’s murder of Wilson as an act of extreme jealousy, writes The Guardian.

The career must suffer

Strickland faces the consequences of his girlfriend’s crime. Since his business partner and friend Kaitlin Armstrong was suspected, Strickland has been in the news constantly. According to “Velo Outside”, the professional driver has sponsorship agreements with various companies, including RedBull. His image was severely damaged by the murder, causing his sponsors to gradually withdraw and distance themselves from him.