Kaitlin Armstrong is serving 90 years in prison for murdering professional up-and-coming gravel cyclist Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson. It’s a story that drew international headlines because after being suspected of killing Wilson in Texas, Armstrong vanished — seemingly into thin air. The search for the suspected killer sparked what would become an international manhunt — first leading authorities across the United States, and then eventually to the beaches of Costa Rica.
In June 2022, one month after Armstrong disappeared, Deputy U.S. Marshals Damien Fernandez and Emir Perez traveled to Costa Rica. A source told them Armstrong could be hiding out in Santa Teresa. They knew finding Armstrong in the small, tourist-filled village was going to be a challenge — along the way, Armstrong used multiple identities and changed her appearance — even getting plastic surgery.
They hit dead end after dead end. After many intense days of searching for Armstrong with no luck, the U.S. Marshals decided to try one last tactic, hoping that her love of yoga would pay off for them.
“We decided we were gonna put an ad out … or multiple ads for a yoga instructor and see — what would happen,” Perez told “48 Hours” contributor Jonathan Vigliotti.
But after almost a week of hunting, even that didn’t seem to be working. Perez and Fernandez were about to head back to the States, when suddenly they got a break.
CYCLIST MO WILSON WAS FORGING HER OWN PATH
In March 2022, up-and-coming pro gravel bike racer –25-year-old Anna Moriah Wilson, known as “Mo” to some, appeared on the “Pre Ride Show,” an online program about cycling.
MORIAH WILSON (“Pre Ride Show interview): So excited to be here. It feels like the first big race of the year so yeah … I’m ready to kick it off.”
Just two months later, Wilson was found murdered — the news shocking the cycling community.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: I don’t think anybody could really believe it at first. You know, why would anybody wanna hurt or harm or kill this lovely, talented young woman?
Lisa Gosselin Lynn is the editor of Vermont Sports Magazine and Vermont Ski and Ride Magazine. She is also a CBS News consultant.
Lynn had been following Wilson’s career for many months before her tragic death.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: Moriah was pretty much winning every race that she entered, winning or finishing in the top two. And the races that she entered were top tier.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: Moriah had the potential to be one of the top bike racers, definitely in the country, and probably in the world.
Remarkably, Lynn says that Wilson was new to the pro cycling world. Her first passion had been downhill ski racing, a love shared by her close-knit family.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: She was born into a family of really great athletes. Her father Eric had been on the U.S. Ski Team. … and Moriah’s aunt … actually was a two-time Olympic Nordic ski racer.
And it’s no surprise that Wilson was drawn to outdoor endurance sports. She was raised in northern Vermont next to Kingdom Trails, a mecca for skiers and mountain bikers.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: And that was her playground.
Wilson attended Burke Mountain Academy, an elite ski school that produced Olympic greats like two-time Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin. Wilson had hoped to make the U.S. Ski Team, but knee injuries eventually ended her skiing career. That’s when she switched sports.
Lisa Gosselin Lynn: She had used cycling as a way for rehabbing and kind of building back her strength. What was fascinating to me was she then went on to Dartmouth. She got an engineering degree. And after doing that, she went to her mother and said, “Hey Mom, I think I want to be a…
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