WHEN A PROMISING YOUNG ATHLETE IS MURDERED - U.S. MARSHALS USED A UNIQUE TACTIC TO TRACK DOWN HER SUSPECTED KILLER IN COSTA RICA AND BROUGHT THE FUGITIVE TO JUSTICE

Jonathan Vigliotti reports in "Capturing Moriah Wilson's Killer"

Cyclist Moriah Wilson arrived in Austin, Texas, on May 10, 2022, to prepare for the Gravel Locos bike race. She stayed with a close friend at her apartment. The next evening, the friend returned home to find Wilson had been shot multiple times. The friend called 911 and tried CPR but it was too late. Jonathan Vigliotti gets an inside look at the international hunt for who shot Wilson in 48 HOURS: "Capturing Moriah Wilson's Killer" to be broadcast Saturday, Jan. 27 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

The investigation into the murder would begin to point to a young woman named Kaitlin Armstrong as the suspect. And an anonymous call provided key insight into the mind of the suspected killer.

Shortly after the shooting, investigators learned that Wilson had been dropped off at her friend's apartment by Colin Strickland, another professional bike racer.

"My personal take was he was being very cooperative, being very forthcoming. Um, obviously he was in shock," Austin police officer Marc McLeod tells 48 HOURS.

But there was more. Police discovered video from a neighbor's doorbell camera that showed a black Jeep SUV with a bike rack drive by just one minute after Wilson was dropped off by Strickland. Turns out, that vehicle belonged to Kaitlin Armstrong, Strickland's girlfriend. After Moriah's murder, Strickland said in a social media post that he and Moriah had briefly dated in late 2021 but the relationship was now platonic.

When Strickland agreed to be interviewed by investigators, they say he had a lot to say about his relationship with Armstrong, even portraying her as the jealous type. He also said he'd been out with Wilson but told Armstrong he was running errands.

Investigators worked quickly. That same day, they picked Armstrong up on an old warrant for failing to pay for a Botox treatment.

"And she's just kind of sitting there and she's not showing very much emotion at all," McLeod tells 48 HOURS.

Two days after that interview, police got an unexpected call from a friend of Armstrong's, who said Armstrong was so angry over Strickland's relationship with Wilson, that she wanted to kill her. A few days later, an arrest warrant was issued. But when police went looking for Kaitlin Armstrong, she was gone.

Deputy U.S. Marshals Damien Fernandez and Emir Perez joined the case and discovered Armstrong used her sister's passport to flee to Costa Rica. Her sister later told authorities that she did not give Kaitlin Armstrong her passport, and she has never been charged with any crimes related to this case. In June 2022, one month after Armstrong disappeared, the Marshals traveled to Costa Rica. A source told them Armstrong could be hiding out in the small village of Santa Teresa.

"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," Fernandez tells 48 HOURS.

"We decided we were gonna put an ad out," says Perez "Just saying ... we're looking for a yoga instructor as soon as possible."

But after almost a week of hunting, even that didn't seem to be working. So, the U.S. Marshals were about to head back to the States when suddenly they got a break.

At 9:00 PM, contributor David Begnaud reports on the night a woman was found dead in the driver's seat of her van and the case against her husband in the encore of 48 HOURS: "The Mysterious Death of Tiffiney Crawford."

Judy Tygard is the executive producer of 48 HOURS, which is broadcast Saturdays at 10:00 PM, ET/PT on CBS, and streams anytime on Paramount+. You can also watch 48 HOURS on the CBS News Streaming Network Wednesdays at 8:00 PM, ET. 48 HOURS is also available on CBSNews.com, Fave TV, Pop TV, Pluto US, Pluto UK, Pluto Nordics, Pluto Canada and Pluto South Africa. Download the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV. Follow 48 HOURS on X, Facebook and Instagram. Listen to podcasts at CBS Audio.