Texas woman accused of killing pro cyclist escaped police custody after doctor's appointment

AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas woman accused last year of killing professional cyclist Moriah Wilson briefly escaped sheriff's custody Wednesday morning after a doctor's appointment, officials said.

Kaitlin Armstrong has been held in the Travis County Correctional Complex in Del Valle, Texas, since last year on charges that she shot and killed a woman who had previously dated Armstrong's boyfriend. Two deputies were escorting her back to the patrol car after her appointment Wednesday when she began running, according to Travis County sheriff's spokeswoman Kristen Dark.

Texas authorities said Armstrong traveled about a block into a South Austin, Texas, neighborhood before police found and detained her. Dark declined to say whether Armstrong had been restrained after leaving the appointment. Officials did not reveal Armstrong's reasons for seeking treatment due to patient confidentiality laws.

Dark said Armstrong remained within the deputies' eyesight during the minutes she was out of custody. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment after the incident. Armstrong's attorney, Rick Cofer, did not comment.

The incident is the latest involving an inmate escaping custody, including the notorious case of escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante, who led Pennsylvania authorities on a two-week search in September.

'We never expected it:'Pennsylvania jail where Danelo Cavalcante escaped will spend millions on security improvements

Foiled escape to Costa Rica

This wasn't Armstrong's first attempt to evade law enforcement. She fled to Costa Rica with a fake passport last summer after she was accused of murder.

Wilson, a professional cyclist from San Francisco, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on May 11, 2022, in an East Austin home. She had been visiting Austin to prepare for a race in Waco, Texas.

Police said surveillance video showed a dark SUV pull up to the house one minute after Wilson had returned from swimming with Armstrong's boyfriend, Colin Strickland. The vehicle had features that matched the 2012 Jeep Cherokee that Armstrong drove, according to police. Investigators also said Armstrong owned a 9 mm handgun.

Federal authorities working with Costa Rican officials found and arrested Armstrong in a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas about 50 days after she fled the U.S.

Recent inmate escapes across the U.S.

The incident in Texas follows a slew of inmate escapes in the law few months across the country.

Nine youth offenders escaped from Abraxas Academy, a juvenile detention center in Pennsylvania, on Sept. 17 after a riot broke out. The breach came just days after Cavalcante was captured after a 14-day manhunt in Chester County, Pennsylvania, less than an hour away from the location of this facility.

In late September, a convicted child sex offender who escaped custody while getting unspecified treatment at hospital in Missouri was captured by authorities. Tommy Wayne Boyd, 45, was caught Thursday night about six miles north of the hospital where he disappeared following a multi-jurisdictional manhunt.

Contributing: The Associated Press