Going West: True Crime - Moriah Wilson // 207

Starting point is 00:00:00 One is going on to crime fans. I'm your host Tee. And I'm your host, Daphne. And you're listening to going west. Today's case is happening right now in June of 2022 and the suspect has been identified but is still at large. So we please ask that everyone share this story to help spread the word on Mariah's case and catch her killer. And big thank you to Robin and Michael for sending this in. So you all suggested it and we appreciate it and I've been following this story and it's just crazy and I cannot believe that The suspect is still at large. Yeah, it's been what now three weeks. Yeah, almost a month It's such a devastating story and it just really really needs justice so you guys can help out with that

Starting point is 00:00:56 Yes, so thank you guys for tuning in. Thank you in advance for sharing and just coming to check out again another episode of going West All right guys this is episode 207 of Going West, so let's get into it. In May of 2022, a 25-year-old elite bicyclist traveled to Austin, Texas for a race. But after hanging out with another cyclist and previous romantic interest of hers, she was murdered. When police sorted through the evidence at the scene, they began to believe that the girlfriend of the man the victim had just hung out with was most likely behind the killing. But before they could issue a warrant for her arrest, she had already fled the state.

Starting point is 00:02:14 This is the story of Mariah Wilson and the search for Caitlin Armstrong. Armstrong. Anna Mariah Wilson, who went by Mariah and also Moe, was born on May 18, 1996 to parents Karen and Eric Wilson in Littleton, New Hampshire, which is a very small but charming and picturesque town on the Connecticut River, and just on the other side of this river is the state of Vermont. So actually, Mariah and her brother Matthew grew up on the other side of the river in Vermont, and more specifically in the even smaller countryside town of Kirby, which currently has a population of 500 people.

Starting point is 00:03:03 During childhood, Mariah was an alpine skier, also known as Downhill skiing, and she placed third in the 2013 US Junior National Championship Downhill event when she was about 16 years old. Another passion of hers was biking, and she started biking at a very young age, you know, like most of us, but she took it a little more seriously. And due to growing up in beautiful rural Vermont, she spent a lot of her time biking on the kingdom trails, which made her a strong and skilled cyclist.

Starting point is 00:03:37 By this time, in her teenage years, she was attending the Burke Mountain Academy, which is a nearby private school that actually educates and trains its students in Alpine ski racing. So that sounds like a fun school to go to. Yeah, definitely. After graduating in 2014,

Starting point is 00:03:54 Mariah headed off to Dartmouth College, the Ivy League University in New Hampshire, and began studying engineering. But even though she was working towards her bachelor in engineering, which she received in 2019, she was still extremely passionate about biking. So while she was hard at working college, she was simultaneously becoming a professional bike racer.

Starting point is 00:04:17 And she was a member of the Alpine ski team at Dartmouth. So she was just extremely active overall. Definitely. So once Mariah received her bachelors in engineering in 2019, she went full force into pursuing her athletic dreams as an elite bike racer, specifically in gravel and mountain racing. While she was winning awards and racing her way to the top, literally and figuratively, she was also working for specialized bicycle components,

Starting point is 00:04:45 which is a company that manufactures and markets bicycles. And Mariah was working as a demand planner in the California Bay Area. And by the way, specialized is like a very popular biking brand. Yes, it is. And I'm sure a lot of you guys know that. Right.

Starting point is 00:05:00 So her life was biking, but she also had other hobbies and interests, like traveling, especially to Italy, playing Katan with her friends, cooking and writing. And regarding her personality, it's safe to say that she was a go-getter, but she was also known as a very generous and loving person. At this point in time, Mariah was living in San Francisco, but she was competing all over, in California for the Belgian Walfour ride, which she won in early May of 2022, then to Colorado where she finished second at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB,

Starting point is 00:05:36 and then finally to Austin, Texas to compete in the 157 mile gravel-locose race. So she was really out there just making a name for herself in racing. And although she wasn't living in Vermont anymore, 25-year-old Mariah Wilson had plans to return, and not just to return, but to make an impact on her community. She quit her job at specialized in plan to move back to East Burke, Vermont, to create a local community space where other bikers could gather and have a nice cup of coffee or a delicious locally sourced meal.

Starting point is 00:06:11 But something tragic would happen in Austin, Texas before she could work towards this goal. First let's briefly discuss who Mariah had been kind of dating late last year in 2021. Colin Strickland is also an elite bicyclist, but he's almost 10 years older than Mariah as he is currently 35 years old, whereas Mariah would have just turned 26 had she made it to her birthday a couple weeks ago in May. You know, not that the age gap is a big issue. I'm just letting you guys know. So Colin was born and raised in Texas, where he grew up on a farm just outside of Austin,

Starting point is 00:06:50 and he too began biking at an early age. By high school, Colin was cycling just about everywhere, and after earning a degree and working in conservation until he was 24, his cycling career really began to take off, and he was winning lots of awards and championships just like Mariah had been doing. But of course he had been doing it about 10 years longer than she had, so he was more advanced and more high profile in gravel racing. But if it is an obvious, Mariah was really paving herself a successful career in this

Starting point is 00:07:21 sport too. So Mariah and Colin met through cycling and apparently only dated for one to two weeks according to Colin while he and his girlfriend Caitlin Armstrong were on a break in the fall of 2021. When they were not on this break last fall in 2021, Colin and Caitlin, who is a 35-year-old yoga instructor and independent real estate contractor, had been dating for three years. But in October of 2021, their relationship briefly ended. So during this break, 34-year-old Colin and 25-year-old Mariah, who already knew each other,

Starting point is 00:08:01 began a romantic relationship, and Kaitlyn found out. So Kaitlyn called Mariah on the phone and explained that she was dating Colin and that they had a long-term relationship. But Colin continued to briefly pursue Mariah and actually changed her name and his phone so that Kaitlyn wouldn't see, as well as deleting texts between the two of them. It wasn't long before Caitlin figured this out and blocked Maria's number through Colin's phone, and then Colin and Caitlin got back together.

Starting point is 00:08:30 Yeah, so it seems like this break was maybe not a super serious break if they got right back together, you know, and they had been dating for three years, so... Yeah, yeah, that definitely makes sense. And, you know, obviously, Caitlin is very protective over their relationship. So she's kind of like doesn't want Mariah anywhere near Colin. Right. And she did not like the fact that Mariah had seen Colin, not that it's Mariah's

Starting point is 00:08:56 fault during that time that they were on a break. Because obviously it seems that Caitlin was not ready to move on from Colin. Right. And it's also unclear if he continued to see Mariah on the side. Since Colin has it's also unclear if he continued to see Mariah on the side since Colin has only admitted to having a short fling with her in the fall of 2021 that lasted only about one to two weeks as you mentioned. However, this wouldn't be the last time that they saw each other anyway.

Starting point is 00:09:20 In May of 2022, Caitlin Armstrong and Colin Strickland were fully back together and living with each other at a house in Austin, Texas. But while Mariah was in town for the gravel locos competition that was set to take place on May 14th, 2022, they actually met up. And I do want to say they had seen each other at other races over the month. So it's not like this is the first time they're seeing each other since they dated. Like they they work in the same industry, you know?

Starting point is 00:09:49 Right. And just to reiterate, at this point, Caitlin and Colin are back together. They're in a relationship that appears to be solid. Right. And because of that, this could have been a totally platonic meetup, but either way, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, Mariah was staying at her friend Caitlin Cash's house in Austin. So she, uh, Mariah arrived to Austin the day before on May 10, 2022, and was getting ready

Starting point is 00:10:16 for the gravel loco's race in Hiko, Texas, which is a two hour drive north from Austin. But she was staying at Caitlin Cash's house in Austin. And of course, who else lives in Austin? Colin. So on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, it was a hot day in Austin, Texas, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius. So Mariah texted Caitlin Cash, the friend she was staying with, explaining that she was going to meet up with her friend Colin so they could go swimming together.

Starting point is 00:10:48 Before Mariah left, Caitlin went back to her house to talk to Mariah about her evening, and then Caitlin Cash left at 5.30pm to go meet with her own friends for dinner. Caitlin Cash, I'm using her full name, by the way, because there's two Katelyns in the story. Yeah, we've got two Katelyns here. Yeah, one with a K and one with a C. Katelyn Cash is with a C, but you guys can't see that, so I'm gonna use last names a lot. Katelyn Cash has an electronic lock on her East Austin house's door that is locked and unlocked using a code. So she receives a notification on her phone whenever it's locked and unlocked. So when she received one at 5.55pm, 25 minutes after she left her house herself, this indicated to her

Starting point is 00:11:32 that Mariah was heading out to meet Colin, who picked Mariah up on his motorcycle. That night, the two headed to the deep eddy swimming Pool, which is like a large historic outdoor swimming pool in Austin. That's surrounded by trees. And then the two went to a nearby burger spot. And that place is called Pool Burger, which is kind of teaky themed with an air stream and it looks pretty hip. Conveniently named. Yeah. So at 8.16 pm, pay attention to the times here because we're going to throw a bunch of you. So 816 PM, Mariah and Colin left on his motorcycle and arrived at Caitlin Cash's house 20 minutes later. Mariah returned to Caitlin Cash's house on Maple Avenue at 836 PM, which is also 20 minutes after sunset.

Starting point is 00:12:23 And we know that for sure because that is when Caitlin received a notification on her phone that the door was being unlocked. So we have a definitive time here from when Mariah got back. Yes, because of this lock, which is pretty convenient for for the timeline. Yeah, absolutely. So at this very same time that Mariah was going into Caitlin Cash's house, Colin sent Caitlin Armstrong, his girlfriend, a text message at 836pm that said, quote, hey, are you out? I went to drop some flowers for Allison at her son's house up north, and my phone died,

Starting point is 00:13:02 heading home unless you have another food suggestion. So it's clear that Colin is lying to her, you know, saying that he went to someone's son's house to drop flowers off and that his phone was dead. When he was actually swimming and having burgers with Mariah. Yes, I wonder if he turned his phone off that whole time so she couldn't track him if she does have his tracker, which it seems like Caitlin Armstrong would have that on Colin. Absolutely. And we also don't know like you said at this point we don't know what the relationship is between mariah and call in so it like you

Starting point is 00:13:33 said it could be platonic it could be not platonic right but either way I think he even if it is platonic call in does not want to be honest about seeing Mariah with Caitlin because Caitlin has this very aggressive view, apparently, of Mariah because of the relationship they had last fall. So even if it was just friends, Caitlin would not be okay with that. Oh, definitely. So that's, I think, either way he's going to lie, but that makes us wonder, is it platonic or romantic?

Starting point is 00:14:03 Yeah, yeah. That's just a, you know just a random question I have. But let's get back to the timeline. So just seven minutes later, Colin arrived home and Caitlin Armstrong wasn't there, so he sent her another text. Then he went into the garage and began working on his bikes. At 9.21 pm, Colin texted her again by this time it had been almost, you know, 50 minutes

Starting point is 00:14:28 since he had first texted her after dropping Mariah off and just minutes later, Caitlin arrived home in her Jeep Cherokee. That same evening, just seven days before her 26th birthday, Mariah was found shot to death and her friend Caitlinlyn Cash is home. Caitlyn had returned home from an evening out with friends just before 10pm when she tragically discovered Mariah Wilson bleeding and unconscious from multiple gunshot wounds and she was lying on her bathroom floor. At 9.56pm, Caitlyn Cash fr called police, who responded to the scene within minutes

Starting point is 00:15:09 and performed CPR on Mariah, but sadly, she was pronounced dead at the scene. So immediately, it didn't appear that Mariah's murder had been random, but it was also obvious that it was a homicide because there was no firearm left at the scene. However, Mariah's bike appeared to be stolen initially, but it was found at 68 feet from Caitlin Cash's home and concealed in thick bamboo, like as if someone had tried to hide it not steal it maybe. Caitlin Cash only had that electronic lock, which, again, proved to be helpful in creating a timeline in Mariah's Evening, but there was no security footage outside her house.

Starting point is 00:15:49 She didn't have a doorbell camera or anything like that. But… But… there was surveillance from a ring camera outside a home nearby, and we did post the footage on our socials for you guys to see. So on this footage, it shows at 8.26pm, so 10 minutes before Mariah got back to Caitlin Cash's house, a dark colored SUV is seen driving on Caitlin Cash's street. Then, 11 minutes later, when it's visibly more dark outside at 8.37 pm, which is just one minute after Mariah entered Caitlin Cash's home, the same SUV is seen driving on her street.

Starting point is 00:16:32 Now the eerie thing about this is the home with the ring camera was right next to Caitlin's house and across the street. So in the footage, you can see the SUV slow down when it gets to Caitlin's house and then stop right next to Caitlin's house or like partially in front of it. But unfortunately, you don't see the person exit or see anything that happens at Caitlin's home because it's just out of view. The vehicle was fairly distinctive because it had a large bicycle rack mounted on the trailer hitch

Starting point is 00:17:04 and it was clearly a jeep Cherokee. And who drives a jeep Cherokee? We shall get to that. So this indicated to police that whoever killed Mariah had likely been driving that vehicle so they got to work. But they also made sure to question Colin immediately, knowing that he had been the last person to see her, and

Starting point is 00:17:25 as we will discuss later, they questioned him the next day. Of course, you know, this was just an incredibly unthinkable scenario for Mariah's family who loved her so dearly. Her family was so proud of who she was and who she was supposed to become, meaning this must have been a profound loss for them, especially considering Mariah was only 25 years old. They held a private burial service for her at the Kirby Cemetery with a local reverend there to officiate it. They also set up a GoFundMe for the purpose of raising money to help fund community organizations that help youth find self-confidence, strength, and joy through biking, skiing, and other activities that Mariah was so passionate about.

Starting point is 00:18:10 Their goal is set at $250,000 and it currently sits above $117,000. So if you'd like to donate like we did, click the link in the description of this episode. It's definitely a great cause and will help Mariah's legacy live on in her community. Her family made the following statement to the media. Quote, we are absolutely devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter and sister, Anna Mariah Wilson. There are no words that can express the pain and suffering that we're experiencing due to this senseless tragic loss. They also stated at the time of her death that it was known to those closest to Mariah that she wasn't in a romantic relationship with anyone.

Starting point is 00:18:53 After Mariah's murder, neighbors were questioned and one neighbor had something interesting to say. For reference, it appears that Caitlyn lived in a duplex. That's Kaitlyn Cash. Yeah, Kaitlyn Cash, sorry. Because looking at her address online, it appears to be like a multi-bedroom house, but she lived in unit B. So it seems there are two houses connected to each other, though it is referred to as an apartment. It just doesn't appear to be one to me, but instead a duplex.

Starting point is 00:19:22 I guess it doesn't matter, but apartment to me kind of insinuates that there are multiple people living in this building. And you see, like, there were just Caitlyn Cash and then her neighbor who was also her landlord. Now, between 8.30 PM and 9.30 PM, when Mariah was killed, the landlord who lived next door was home

Starting point is 00:19:42 and heard noises from their garage. So he was in the garage when he heard what sounded like someone running downstairs and into the alley next to their homes. Somewhat startled by this, he looked under the partially raised garage door that he was in and saw someone riding a bicycle down the alley, which is where Mariah's bike was later found concealed. When Kalen Cash arrived home around an hour and a half after Mariah was shot, she noticed that the door to her home was unlocked, and at 10-10 pm, Mariah was pronounced dead at the scene. Now, Colin Strickland released this statement on social media after Mariah's murder.

Starting point is 00:20:28 I'm reeling from grieving Mo Wilson's death and from the facts that have emerged during the investigation. I cannot begin to imagine the pain felt by Mo's family and her close friends. There's no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime. I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable tragedy. Although it will be a matter of small consolation to anyone else who cared for Mo, I want you to know that I have cooperated fully with investigators ever since I learned the terrible news, and

Starting point is 00:21:05 I will continue to do so until some form of justice is served." As a point of clarification to facts previously reported, Mariah Wilson and I had a brief romantic relationship from late October to early November of 2021 that spanned a week or so while Wilson was visiting Austin. At the time, she and I had both recently ended relationships. She returned to her home in California, and about a month later, Caitlin Armstrong and I reconciled and resumed our relationship. Since then, I often saw Mo at cycling events and always in public settings. We both competed in Bentonville, Arkansas, still water, and Monterey, California.

Starting point is 00:21:50 After our brief relationship in October of 2021, we were not in a romantic relationship, only a platonic and professional one. It was not my intention to pursue along an auxiliary romantic relationship that would mislead anyone. Mariah and I were both leaders in this lonely, niche sport of cycling, and I admired her

Starting point is 00:22:12 greatly and considered her a very close friend. I am deeply grieving her loss. The day after Mariah's murder, Colin admitted to police that he had purchased firearms for both he and his girlfriend, Caitlin, one for each of them, between December of 2021 and January of 2022, just five months before Mariah's murder. And I cannot find why they purchased these if there was a reason, if they just, you know, people buy guns for whatever reason, maybe there was no particular reason. Maybe home protection. Right. They just either didn't mention it or it's just not online.

Starting point is 00:23:12 So, police were able to determine that the vehicle spotted in the ring camera was Caitlin Armstrong's 2012 Jeep Cherokee after they visited Caitlin and Collins home on May 12th, the day after the murder. Also at their home, police found two 9-millimeter guns, a Springfield Armory for Colin, and a SIG-SAR for Caitlin. And after examining the showcases found at the scene, they were compared to one of the guns that Colin had purchased, the SIGSHOWER for Caitlyn, and quote, the potential that the same firearm was involved are significant. So this means a lot here. It does. Because police are basically saying it appears that Caitlyn's firearm was used to murder

Starting point is 00:24:02 Mariah. Yeah. So now we have you on tape, your car, at least on tape, and we know that you have a gun and we could connect the casing to that gun. Did I get that name right six hours? You know what, I am not, I'm not a gun person, but if somebody out there, you can correct us if we got that wrong. I'm sorry, if I got it wrong, I'm so sorry, I'm not going to say it again though, so it's

Starting point is 00:24:22 just a minor detail. So police were able to question both Colin and Caitlin that day, and after determining that the vehicle scene on the ring camera was likely Caitlin's, they asked her about this and showed her the evidence. Caitlin told them that she had no explanation as to why her car was in the area and did not deny that it was hers. So she didn't even have a story for why her car was in the area and did not deny that it was hers. So she didn't even have a story for why her car would be there? Yeah, she was just like, yes, that is mine. I have no explanation.

Starting point is 00:24:53 She was being very, as I'll explain, she was being very calm, she wasn't going back and forth, she wasn't being erratic, she was just kind of saying the bare minimum. So when asked if she had heard about what happened the previous evening, a K-A-Morais murder, she nodded her head and said that Colin had told her that a woman in the cycling community had passed away. That's putting it lightly. Well, and to say, a woman in the cycling community

Starting point is 00:25:18 had passed away. You know who Mariah is. Yeah, you know who Mariah is. That's so true. You know she is. That's so true. So she was apparently, like I said, very still in her interview and actually didn't move at all she was infidient she was just still as still as hell next detective Connor

Starting point is 00:25:33 explained to Caitlin that Colin had gone out with Mariah the previous evening and that she must have been upset by that Caitlin responded to this by turning her head and angrily rolling her eyes. Proving his point. Then she said, quote, I'm not certain as to even what you mean or what he said because I didn't have any idea that he saw or even went out with this girl as of recently. So Detective Connor then told Caitlin that the fact that her car was spotted at the scene and the fact that her boyfriend had just gone out with the victim didn't look too good

Starting point is 00:26:13 and she nodded in agreement and didn't speak. She was just, you know, still and very guarded. Then Caitlin Armstrong requested to leave and since they couldn't hold her at this point, she was free to go. The next day, which was May 13, a friend of Caitlin's who disguised their name as Jane, called police and explained that over the last few months, Caitlin had called Mariah on multiple occasions. And in one instance, Caitlin told Mariah that she had to stay away from Collins, so now she's threatening Mariah on multiple occasions. And in one instance, Caitlin told Mariah

Starting point is 00:26:45 that she had to stay away from Collins. So now she's threatening Mariah. Right, and this is just for her to say, or this Jane to say, she called her multiple times, like this was, and this seems like it was an issue for Caitlin. That Mariah was even existing. Yeah, it was. Then the next day on May 14th, 2022, so just under three days after Mariah's murder,

Starting point is 00:27:08 an anonymous person called the Austin Police Department and said that she was with Caitlin Armstrong in January when she discovered that Colin was still having a romantic relationship with Mariah, two months after they had allegedly ended things in November of 2021. Of course, since Colin publicly stated that they were not seeing each other romantically, this can't be confirmed, but it's definitely possible that they were still seeing each other romantically and maybe Colin just didn't want to publicly admit this for the sake of his image and career. But the caller explained to the Austin police that when Caitlyn learned that they were still

Starting point is 00:27:47 potentially seeing each other, she became furious and was visibly shaking in anger. Caitlyn Armstrong allegedly told this anonymous person that she was so angry that she wanted to kill Mariah. And then spoke about a fire arm purchase. At this point in time Mariah sent this text message to Colin. Hey, so I would like to talk to you at some point. I had originally texted you on Friday, but appears my text aren't going through again. This weekend was strange for me, and I just want to know what's going on.

Starting point is 00:28:23 If you just want to be friends, seems to be the case, then that's cool, but I'd like to talk about it because honestly, my mind has been going in circles and I don't really know what to think. In response to this text, Colin wrote, quote, hey mo, I feel very shitty for putting you in a position where you don't feel comfortable. Caitlin came along to go to a meeting about the Sprinter Spartan Hotel Project. In hindsight, that was not a good idea. So it does seem like in January,

Starting point is 00:28:51 at least Mariah was wondering, maybe Colin was kind of leading her on, and she's kind of saying, hey, are we something? Or, you know, this weekend was awkward, because probably because Caitlin Armstrong was there, so are you with her? Are you with me? What's going on?

Starting point is 00:29:04 I just want to talk about it. Yeah, it kind of seems like he's between the two of them, a little bit. That point. because probably because Caitlin Armstrong was there. So are you with her? Are you with me? What's going on? I just want to talk about it. Yeah, it kind of seems like he's between the two of them a little bit. Absolutely. Yeah, totally. So although the crime of murder is much more serious than Lorsany, Caitlin Armstrong does have a charge against her

Starting point is 00:29:17 from 2018 that we just want to briefly mention. On March 6, 2018, the, or then, 31-year-old Caitlin Armstrong received a $650 Botox procedure at a spa in West Lake, Texas. After the procedure, she went to use her master card at the reception desk, but then she said that she would prefer to use a different card instead. So she said she had another card in her vehicle outside and said she would go out and retrieve it and be right back, but she never returned, leaving her master card on the counter. The master card even had her name on it and the med spa had taken photos

Starting point is 00:29:56 of her for the procedure and they had other information on file for her, including her date of birth and more. So she's a ding dong. I mean, yeah, that was very a silly thing to do thinking she could just get away with not paying, even though they know exactly who she is. Yeah. So with that, she was charged with larceny within the coming weeks, because this med spot did press charges. When Colin was questioned by police, which he didn't have to do, and he voluntarily went

Starting point is 00:30:22 down to the station without a lawyer, he also mentioned that he hasn't seen or spoken to Caitlin Armstrong since May 13th, two days after Mariah's murder. And since then, Caitlin has deleted all her social media accounts and is still at large. So it's kind of crazy because this is his girlfriend and he hasn't seen her since mid-May. Yeah, she just left. Well, he was saying this at the time. So it's he didn't just say this yesterday. No, I know. But yeah, like he he doesn't know where she is either. So he says. And the only social media account that it appears she did not delete is Strava, which is an online cycling and fitness platform. And that shows that she last cycled on May 11th.

Starting point is 00:31:08 The day Mariah was killed because as we'll go into, she did cycle just as a hobby. So here is what we do know about Caitlyn's whereabouts. Now before Caitlyn was officially being considered a suspect, she boarded a flight from the Austin Bergsdrum International Airport in Austin to nearby Houston at 12.30 p.m. on May 14, 2022. And once she landed in Houston, Caitlin got a connecting flight alone to the LaGuardia Airport in New York via Southwest Airlines. There are photos of her at the Austin Airport that have been released and we posted them, so she's holding a yoga mat and wearing a black face mask, white pants, a denim jacket,

Starting point is 00:31:57 and her hair is pulled back like half of it is pulled back and the other half is down. And she also had a blue backpack on her back. After she landed at La Guardia in Queens, New York that same day, authorities admitted that they quote, kind of lost the track. Especially considering she was three days ahead of police, she had deleted social media and doesn't appear to have her cell phone,

Starting point is 00:32:23 she could be anywhere and definitely could have altered her appearance. So let's talk about this. Like, it really seems like after she was questioned by police and was presented the evidence of her car being at the scene and then her gun was taken for evidence processing, she probably knew that they were on to her and decided her only way out was to run. Yeah, I mean, yeah, they literally have like the murder weapon. Yeah, and I mean, I am so surprised that she is still,

Starting point is 00:32:51 by the way, still on the run, because the last time we saw anything like this was when Brian Laundry was on the run last year. So I just hope this has a better outcome because it's just so unclear how this is going to end. Yeah, I mean, she could be anywhere in the world right now. Yes, and we will get into the updates as well, guys. Also, regarding the actual murder, so Kaylen would have had to know that Mariah and

Starting point is 00:33:17 Colin were hanging out that night if she was outside Mariah's friend's house before Mariah even got back to the house. Because remember, there is footage of her car on that street 10 minutes before Mariah even got there, because her car was seen first at 8.26 pm. So that's 11 minutes before Mariah got home. So maybe she saw recent texts between Colin and Mariah or something and then potentially followed Colin

Starting point is 00:33:47 to the area when he went to pick up Mariah. And that's when she saw them together and decided what she was going to do. Or it's possible that she had the Find My Friends app and she was tracking where Colin was. But it seems like, remember how he said his phone died? So I wonder if he did. Maybe he didn't turn it off until after he got to the house.

Starting point is 00:34:08 True. Maybe he forgot to turn off his phone. But also, Colin had said that he always deleted text between his phone and Mariahs, so that Caitlin wouldn't see. So that also makes me wonder, well, how would she have seen text between them? So how the hell did Caitlin even know what was going on and where to find Mariah?

Starting point is 00:34:28 Another possible thing is that she could have followed Colin when he left that day. That's what I'm thinking. That's what I'm thinking. That's the only scenario. Because how the hell would she know where he went? Yeah. And also Colin had said that Caitlin would not have known where Mariah was staying and she didn't know anyone in the area of

Starting point is 00:34:49 Caitlin Cash's house. So it's not like she just happened to be there. She had to have been there for this purpose, you know, this reason. Yeah, she was there, she planned this out. So as we stated, Caitlin was questioned on May 12th, 2022. And as of May 13 13, Colin states that

Starting point is 00:35:07 he didn't see her again, and then on May 14, she boarded a plane to New York. But a warrant for her arrest was not issued until May 17, so five days after she was questioned, when a magistrate authorized a warrant under murder charges in relation to the shooting murder of 25-year-old Mariah Wilson. Now Caitlin's father has spoken to the media about Caitlin's involvement, and he doesn't think that she did this. Michael Armstrong claims that he knows Caitlin didn't do this because she isn't capable

Starting point is 00:35:38 of murder. He spoke to Good Morning America recently and said, quote, I know her. I know how she thinks and I know what she believes. And I know that she just would not do something like this. I know her. I know her. He was then asked what he thinks about the police's theory that she did it. And he said, quote, that is what they believe.

Starting point is 00:36:00 I know that she did not do this. There are a lot of unanswered questions. He then addresses Caitlin herself and says, quote, we love you, Katie, and we're going to figure this out. I just wonder how he is so sure, especially with all the evidence, because we know that Colin had taken Mariah back to her friend's house via motorcycle, and his phone was tracked going back to his house right away, where he remained for the evening. So he couldn't have ridden back to the house, got into Caitlin Armstrong's car, and then went back to the scene to Caitlin Cash's house to murder Mariah. Especially since, again, Caitlin Armstrong's

Starting point is 00:36:40 Jeep Cherokee was seen approaching the house before they even got there. So if it wasn't Caitlin and it wasn't Colin, then who did this? And why would Caitlin be on the run and delete all of her socials if she's innocent? Yeah, see, that doesn't make any sense at all. And I'm sorry I'm not trying to be an asshole, but I just don't believe the father is just... He's in in denial he's in denial of what's going on right now because

Starting point is 00:37:07 they have a murder weapon they saw her car Mariah didn't have any enemies that anybody knew of There's just no other possibility here. I do understand why Michael Armstrong is saying this of course This is his daughter. How can he let himself believe that his daughter would murder somebody? I fully get it and I do sympathize with him because this has got to be an emotional time for him as well. Yeah, and you never want to believe that as a parent? Absolutely, but I don't, I just don't agree personally. And also, I know in some cases, people run because they know they look guilty and they really didn't do it. But with all the evidence they have here, I don't see how this murder would not have been carried out

Starting point is 00:37:47 by Caitlin Armstrong. Also, at the time we're releasing this episode, she has been on the run for 24 days. That's a long time. Yeah, that's a long time for nobody to have seen you. But I just wonder where she could be because in this day and age, it's so hard to stay hidden when people are looking for you

Starting point is 00:38:04 because of the internet and how easy it is to share a photo and how like every ATM has a camera and that can be tracked anyway and you need an ID to stay at hotels and there's cameras all over the place like I can't imagine how she has been hiding in or around New York or anywhere else like how does she does she have money? Where is she sleeping? There's so many questions. Yeah, you would think that she would have to have a credit card or a debit card or something in her name.

Starting point is 00:38:31 Or like a fake ID. Yeah, unless she's just paying for everything with cash, which I guess you could do. And I did look to see if there was any kind of trace that before the murder happened. She went to an ATM and took out a lot of money, but I didn't find anything like that. So does that mean she's been planning it?

Starting point is 00:38:47 There's just, it's so hard to figure out, but at the end of the day, it's been almost a month, and there has to be some kind of way that she is out there somewhere, going unseen and living. Yeah, and we are just, you know, in the midst of what is happening here. Yeah, absolutely. So also a little more about Kaitlyn and her relationship with Colin.

Starting point is 00:39:09 So they previously had a business together, and I think they still, quote, still, kind of do. And it's centered around like designing and building vintage trailers for their company called Wheelhouse Mobile. This website had previously stated, quote, Collins' partner and financial guru, Caitlin Armstrong, led him to realize that they could build this into something much greater than a one-off passion project.

Starting point is 00:39:37 And this website was active until Caitlin went on the run. And since she deleted all of her social media accounts, it appears she also took down their website for their business, which is kind of weird to me. I think that's kind of odd. I wonder why. Just maybe she just thought it might be another way that somebody could connect her to something. Right.

Starting point is 00:39:57 Caitlin used to cycle, like I said, but she kind of put biking aside and focus more on yoga and becoming a real estate contractor, though it appears she does still bike as a big hobby just she doesn't do it competitively. Other than this, we know that she was born on November 21, 1987 in Livonia, Michigan, to her father, Michael. But her mother's name is still unknown publicly, though a friend explained that her mother had an alcohol addiction and wasn't really in her life.

Starting point is 00:40:27 So she eventually moved to Santa Monica, California in her early 20s and then relocated to Austin, Texas in 2017 to live with her sister. She also has a brother who apparently has some addictions as well, and Kaitlyn was passionate about getting him on the other side of that, and even bringing him into the trailer business to help influence him. So that's pretty much all we know about Caitlin. Yeah, there's not a whole lot. So according to a friend of both Colin and Caitlin's named David, Caitlin began working in real estate after the COVID-19 pandemic affected her yoga career. But she was doing very well for herself and owns three

Starting point is 00:41:05 rental properties. And she was also very smart with money and was the accounts payable manager for the wheelhouse mobile business that she and Colin also had with her friend David. She set up the websites as well and David also said that she always kept busy. He also added quote, With this girl, there was not one red flag, not one. No rage, drama, nothing. Nothing showed out over the last year, and that tells me that there's something buried so deep that Moe being in town lit the wick to everything that was suppressed prior to

Starting point is 00:41:41 that. Well, this also makes me wonder if she had spent the months between January and May planning to kill Mariah if she ever was seen with Colin again, since her friend would call with the tip, said that she allegedly stated that she wanted to kill Mariah back in January of 2022. So I think about all the things that it would take to stay off the radar when you're being hunted

Starting point is 00:42:04 by law enforcement and FBI and the public. And how I don't think that she could have sorted out a plan like this in less than two days. Yeah, so she might have been planning for this for quite some time. Right. Kaelin Marie Armstrong is 5 feet 8 inches tall, has reddish brown hair, hazel eyes, and weighs approximately 125 pounds. We urge everyone to look at photos of her, which you can find on our socials or online, and call the Austin police if you spot her anywhere.

Starting point is 00:42:38 In the most recent news on this case, US marshals have sent a public message to Caitlin Armstrong asking her to surrender. Come forward, surrender to authorities. It's just a matter of time. We're working day in and day out. We'd like to safely bring you into custody so you can have your day in court and tell your side of the story. At this point, Caitlin is considered armed and dangerous. And after police initially noticed her jeep Cherokee at their home in Austin, it has been missing alongside her.

Starting point is 00:43:16 As we know, she was last spotted at the LaGuardia airport since she flew there from Texas, so it doesn't seem like she could have possibly taken her car with her wherever she went, though investigators believe the whereabouts of her car could be important and noted to the public that she may be traveling in it. Again, it's a black 2012 Jeep Cherokee and her Texas license plate is LD-5608. As of the day before this episode releases, the day we're recording it, Caitlin Armstrong was allegedly spotted on May 18, 2022 at the Newark, New Jersey airport. This news came out this morning, so the day before we're releasing it. This is one day after the warrant for her arrest was issued and four days after

Starting point is 00:44:06 she flew into the LaGuardia Airport in New York. Here is the official statement from the US Marshal's Twitter quote. The US Marshal's Lone Star fugitive task force has learned that Caitlin Marie Armstrong was dropped off at the Newark Liberty International Airport on May 18th. However, there were no outbound flight reservations under her name found at all, which is leading investigators to think that she is using an alias. What I'm wondering is how the person who believes they spotted her knew it was her, like did she look the same?

Starting point is 00:44:45 Because if she is using an alias, I would assume she would also change her appearance. And Caitlin doesn't have a terribly unique look to her. I'd say maybe her long curly reddish hair is the most unique standout trait, but a lot of women look like her. So did she use an alias, or was this a case of mistaken identity and this woman was not Caitlyn?

Starting point is 00:45:07 Or did she get dropped off to make it look like she was going to the airport but then didn't? I mean, oh my god, there's so many questions. Yeah, there's a lot of different possibilities. But again, I just want to say this license plate so that it can stick in your guys' heads a little bit better. So her license plate for that vehicle is L-D-Z 5608.

Starting point is 00:45:27 And the reason why I say this is because it's possible that she did fly somewhere. It's possible that she didn't. But if, in fact, they do find her car, they could find clues that could lead to her. Right. Well, we do know that she definitely got on a plane because there's evidence of that. And also, there are all those photos of her at the airport. So we know that she did fly to New York. But the tough thing here is that this is still almost three weeks ago that she was in

Starting point is 00:45:53 supposedly in New Jersey and it's the most recent account as of now. So authorities are still very behind. And there hasn't yet been any footage released or publicly discussed of Caitlin at the Newark, New Jersey airport, which is why it's hard to even confirm that it's her. And I think that's why this case needs so much more attention is because the last sighting was weeks ago. I agreed.

Starting point is 00:46:19 Yeah, absolutely. I think you're so right, and that's a big reason why we wanted to cover this case because Again, the fact that she is still at large is mind blowing to me and the fact that this is the most recent account And it was three weeks ago is Just what how so I think maybe I know this is a really big story in the news and a lot of you guys have probably heard about it But we need to you know share more. Absolutely. I definitely agree. Colin Strickland himself is in hiding, but not from police, from Caitlin, for fear that he could be in danger. Caitlin and Colin's friend David told the media, quote, none of us can sleep.

Starting point is 00:47:00 He's staying out of sight until she's caught. I do know where he is, but I'm not mentioning where for his safety. He's not in Texas. He's got completely out of Dodge. For anyone out there who may see Caitlin Armstrong, the US Marshals are asking that you call 1-800-336-01-02. If you see her car or have any information about her whereabouts. For the sake of Mariah's family, we hope that this case will be closed soon, and that they'll get answers regarding the extremely untimely murder of Mariah Wilson. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Friday we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into.

Starting point is 00:47:55 Please again, make sure you share this story. I can't even imagine how Mariah's family feels right now knowing that her likely killer is just out there evading police capture and, you know, I'm sure they really just want her caught. So, police can question her and just figure out what the hell happened. Yeah, the most important thing you guys can do right now is to just share this episode. Also, we do, of course, post everything on social media.

Starting point is 00:48:20 So, if you wanna share our posts, which will include photos of Caitlin and Mariah of course, make sure you do that Just so that you can help just spread her photos out there Exactly the more her face is seen the more likely it is that somebody is gonna recognize her somewhere Yeah, cuz I mean this is all audio of course So it is important that you guys know what she looks like because that is the whole point That is the only way she will get caught. So please, please share this episode. Thank you guys so much for listening.

Starting point is 00:48:47 Thank you again to Robin and Michael for recommending this case. And we just hope there's closure very, very soon. All right, guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1%, 1 %, 1 %, 1 %, 1%, 1 %, 1 %, 1%, 1, 1%, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 Thank you. you

Going West: True Crime - Moriah Wilson // 207

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