What started as a routine traffic stop near the U.S.-Canada border has unraveled into a complex and chilling crime saga stretching across multiple states.

A Vermont border patrol agent, David Maland, was shot and killed on January 20, and investigators now believe the incident is linked to a series of murders from Pennsylvania to California.

Deadly Shootout Near the U.S.-Canada Border

Agent Maland, a 44-year-old officer with the Swanton Sector Border Patrol, was conducting a traffic stop about 20 miles from the border when the occupants of the vehicle opened fire.

One of the suspects, 21-year-old Teresa Youngblut from Washington, was injured in the exchange and taken to the hospital.

The other suspect, Felix Bauckholt, a German national, was shot dead at the scene.

Maland was rushed to the hospital, but he did not survive.

While the exact motive for the attack remains unclear, authorities now believe this was not an isolated crime.

Possible Connection to Murders in Pennsylvania and California

Prosecutors have linked Youngblut to a double homicide in Pennsylvania and a fatal stabbing in California.

Investigators are still piecing together the connections, but the evidence suggests a disturbing pattern of violence.

One of the key links is Youngblut’s association with Maximilian Snyder, a 22-year-old data scientist who was recently arrested and charged with the murder of 82-year-old Curtis Lind, a landlord in Vallejo, California.

Lind was stabbed to death on January 17, reportedly to prevent him from testifying in a criminal case.

A Landlord’s Past Attack and the Ripple Effect

Lind had a history of violent encounters. In 2022, he was attacked with a sword by his tenants during a dispute but managed to shoot and kill one of his assailants, Emma Borhanian.

The other two attackers, Suri Dao and Alexander Jeffrey Leatham, were arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, and murder for Borhanian’s death.

Lind was set to testify against Dao and Leatham in court on February 19.

Prosecutors now suspect that his murder may have been an attempt to silence him before the trial.

A History of Radical Protests and Mysterious Connections

Borhanian and Leatham, two of the individuals involved in the 2022 attack on Lind, had previously been arrested in 2019 for an unusual protest in Occidental, California.

They, along with two others, barricaded themselves in the woods to protest artificial intelligence and a Berkeley-based nonprofit event.

In 2021, the group sued the retreat center and local deputies, claiming they were mistreated because they were transgender.

However, the case was dismissed when they failed to appear in court.

Now, authorities are also investigating Youngblut’s potential ties to the 2023 murders of Richard and Rita Zajko, an elderly couple found dead in their Pennsylvania home.

Court documents suggest that someone connected to the Zajko case may have purchased the weapons used in the Vermont border patrol shooting.

A Trail of Suspicion and a Chilling Discovery

Youngblut had been in contact with an unnamed person of interest who was detained in Pennsylvania in connection with the Zajko murders.

These communications, along with her presence at multiple crime scenes, have strengthened prosecutors’ belief that she is involved in a multi-state crime spree.

Before the Vermont shooting, Youngblut’s parents had reported her missing.

They told police she had cut ties with family and friends, changed her phone number, and had been lying about her whereabouts.

However, since she was an adult, police did not formally list her as missing.

The Unusual Behavior Before the Shooting

Youngblut and Bauckholt had already attracted suspicion before the border patrol stop.

A hotel employee in Vermont had reported them for checking in while dressed entirely in black, with Youngblut visibly carrying a firearm.

When questioned by police, the pair claimed they were in the area looking to buy property.

They checked out of the hotel on January 19 and were last seen at a Walmart, where Bauckholt was observed wrapping items in aluminum foil.

This raised further suspicion, as wrapping electronics in foil is a known tactic to prevent tracking.

What Investigators Found After the Attack

Following the deadly shootout, authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of items in the suspects’ possession. Among the evidence recovered were:

Two pistols
Two phones wrapped in aluminum foil
A ballistic helmet
Night vision goggles
A tactical belt
Two full-face respirators
Handheld radios
A dozen electronic devices
Travel documents
A journal filled with coded text and references to drug use, including notes about taking LSD

The evidence suggests a level of preparation and planning that has left investigators searching for deeper motives.

The Legal Fallout and Ongoing Investigation

Youngblut has been charged with using a deadly weapon to assault a U.S.

Border Patrol agent and with using and discharging a firearm during that assault.

Prosecutors are now working to untangle the web of connections between her, Snyder, and the other suspects linked to multiple murders across the country.

As more details emerge, authorities are left wondering whether this was the work of a loosely connected network of criminals or if there is an even larger, more organized effort at play.

This case is still developing, and investigators are continuing to track down leads across multiple states.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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