It’s been more than a month since a friend of cyclist Moriah ‘Mo’ Wilson found her dead in an Austin, Texas, apartment. Now, investigators think her suspected murderer could be using an alias.
Kaitlin Marie Armstrong is accused of first-degree murder in the May 11 death of professional cyclist “Mo” Wilson.
The 34-year-old Armstrong’s last known whereabouts were at Newark Liberty International Airport, where reports surfaced that someone had dropped her off on May 18. But no outbound flight reservations in her name existed at the airport, and the trail went cold.
Now, investigators told NewsNation that Armstrong might be traveling under an assumed name. And one former FBI agent said the fugitive is likely receiving help.
Austin’s KXAN reported that Jason Jensen, a private investigator, received tips that Armstrong could be going by her sister’s name in New York state. Jensen said he believes she’s using the alias “Christine Armstrong.”
“Three days after Kaitlin was seen in the New York area, an address popped up in New York state, Livingston Manor, where it was in Christine’s name,” said Jensen.
Former FBI Special Agent Tracy Walder also commented to NewsNation. Walder is not actively investigating the case but does think someone is helping Armstrong evade the law.
“I actually do think that this had a little premeditation in it. How much, I am not certain,” Walder told NewsNation. “I am really starting to think, especially because now we see two different airports, that she has help.”
Case Background
Per the arrest affidavit, Wilson had met Armstrong’s boyfriend, pro cyclist Colin Strickland, to go swimming around 5:30 p.m. local time on May 11. The documents said that Strickland dropped Wilson off at her East Austin apartment a few hours later.
A friend of Wilson’s found her bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds inside the apartment at 9:56 p.m. and called authorities. A doctor pronounced Wilson, 25, dead at the scene.
Investigators say that security footage shows an SUV that appeared similar to Armstrong’s pulled up outside one minute after Wilson arrived home. Detectives analyzed 9mm shell casings found at the scene against a gun that belonged to Armstrong, and then wrote in the affidavit that “[t]he potential that the same firearm was involved is significant.”
Investigators brought Armstrong in for questioning on May 12 but subsequently released her.
By the time Austin police issued the arrest warrant on May 19, Armstrong had already flown out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. That meant the investigation landed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Recently, the Marshals upgraded the investigation to “major case status” and levied a $5,000 reward for information leading to Armstrong’s arrest.
UPDATE: Armstrong was last seen on surveillance video wearing a blue denim jacket, black shirt with a pink design on the chest, white jeans, black and white tennis shoes, a black COVID mask, and a possible yoga mat carrier on her shoulders. pic.twitter.com/y816hPt7im
— U.S. Marshals (@USMarshalsHQ) May 25, 2022
“Kaitlin Armstrong is accused of a very serious crime that she needs to answer for,” said Susan Pamerleau, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas. “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.”
Anyone with information on her whereabouts can contact the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102. Alternatively, the service accepts tips via the USMS Tips app.
