According to officials, the search for Kaitlin Armstrong, the woman convicted of murdering Anna Moriah Wilson, proved to be a difficult task. Armstrong had vanished from Austin, Texas, where the murder took place on May 11, 2022, leaving detectives with the daunting challenge of finding a suspect who had seemingly disappeared. Eventually, tips led authorities to Costa Rica, where Deputy U.S. Marshals Damien Fernandez and Emir Perez faced the difficult task of locating Armstrong on an island filled with American expats living relaxed lives.

The search initially narrowed down to the small mountain town of Santa Teresa, but even then, finding Armstrong proved to be a tough feat. Fernandez explained, "I think from the get-go we were told...you're gonna be in for a surprise 'cause a lot of the women in Santa Teresa look just like Kaitlin - a lot of them." With little hope of finding Armstrong, authorities decided to throw a Hail Mary pass. They placed multiple ads for a yoga instructor, hoping to draw her out.

Their plan paid off when someone identifying themselves as a yoga instructor responded to the ad and expressed interest in meeting at a specific hostel. Perez met with Armstrong, who had altered her appearance through cosmetic surgery, and was able to confirm her identity. He noticed bandages on her face, which were later connected to the plastic surgery she had undergone to evade capture. Perez stated, "The eyes are the exact same ones that I saw in the picture...And this is her 100%."

With confirmation of Armstrong's identity, local police moved in for the arrest. Receipts found at Armstrong's hostel later revealed payments made for plastic surgery, further supporting the authorities' case. Armstrong was subsequently convicted of murder by a Travis County jury on November 16, 2022, and sentenced to 90 years in prison the following day.

The capture of Kaitlin Armstrong, the convicted killer involved in a love-triangle, was the result of a phony ad for a yoga instructor placed by federal authorities, according to a new report. Armstrong had fled to Central America after fatally shooting professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson in May 2022. The U.S. Marshals had pursued Armstrong across the United States and eventually tracked her down in Costa Rica, where they believed she was hiding near the coast.

Armstrong had been evasive, using multiple new names and even undergoing plastic surgery, including altering the shape of her nose, to avoid detection. In a last-ditch effort, federal authorities decided to seize on her love for yoga and placed an ad for a yoga teacher on a local Facebook page in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Although it took almost a week, Armstrong finally responded to the ad just as the Marshals were preparing to return to the United States.

Deputy U.S. Marshals Emir Perez and Damien Fernandez rushed to Santa Teresa from San Jose to meet Armstrong at a hostel. Perez, speaking to her in Spanish, noticed her bandaged nose and swollen lips from the surgeries she had undergone to change her appearance. However, he recognized her eyes, which matched a photograph he had seen earlier. Fernandez confirmed Perez's identification, stating, "He gets in the car, and he is like, 'That's her. She's in there.'"

Local police arrested Armstrong, and she was brought back to Texas to face charges. Although she managed to escape briefly, she was apprehended by deputies shortly after. This arrest marked the first significant step towards justice for Anna Moriah Wilson, an emerging star in professional gravel and mountain bike racing, who was found dead on May 11, 2022. Armstrong had tracked Wilson to her apartment through a fitness app and shot her multiple times.

A Texas jury swiftly convicted Armstrong, and she was sentenced to 90 years in prison for the murder of Anna Moriah Wilson. The revelation of the phony ad and the subsequent capture of Armstrong shed light on the efforts made by law enforcement to bring her to justice.