(NewsNation) — A convicted murderer on the run and a yoga teacher suspected of being in a fatal love triangle are targets of ongoing manhunts across the country that have rattled local residents and have law enforcement asking for the public’s help ascertaining their whereabouts.
Here is what we know about each case:
Escaped Texas inmate
Convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez escaped from a prison transport bus and stabbed the driver while in a rural area between Dallas and Houston on May 12. He was being transported to a medical appointment, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
With a search by ground and air in the Texas county exhausted, the department said May 20 that the search was entering “a new, expanded phase,” saying some personnel will remain in the county and will conduct strategic searches of areas outside the original secured perimeter.
Lopez has ties to the Mexican mafia and a long rap sheet. He was serving two life sentences for capital murder and attempted capital murder. He’s also been convicted of aggravated assault and kidnapping.
The 46-year-old’s body is covered in tattoos. His stomach has a tattoo with the nickname “gonzo.” His back says “Mexican” showing a skull atop Aztec ruins. And his arms are covered in tattoos of women.
It’s the biggest Texas manhunt in nearly 20 years, and a $50,000 reward for information leading to Lopez’s capture is being offered.
Police say Lopez should be considered armed and extremely dangerous; anyone who spots him should call 911 rather than approaching him.
Love triangle murder
A manhunt is underway for a yoga teacher accused of shooting and killing an up-and-coming professional cyclist, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force are actively conducting a fugitive investigation and pursuing leads on the whereabouts of Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 35, who is suspected of killing Anna Wilson, 25, a Vermont native who was in Austin for a race.
Police discovered Wilson, who went by “Mo,” bleeding and unconscious from multiple gunshot wounds after responding to a 911 call May 11 at an East Austin residence. They performed CPR on her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.
The arrest affidavit reveals a romantic entanglement, characterizing Wilson’s death as the result of a possible love triangle.
According to the affidavit, Armstrong is accused of first-degree murder and the U.S. Marshals Service issued a wanted poster.
Officials released images from surveillance video showing the suspect at Houston Hobby Airport, saying she fled to New York just three days after the crime.
The U.S. Marshals Service asked for the public’s help in finding Armstrong.
Anyone with details on Armstrong’s location is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 800-336-0102 or submit a tip using the USMS Tips app.