Authorities are conducting a manhunt for a 32-year-old woman suspected of buying the handguns used in the killing of a Vermont Border Patrol agent last week.
Police are searching for Michelle J. Zajko, considered “armed and dangerous,” according to police records obtained by Albany’s Times Union.
U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland was shot and killed near the Canada-Vermont border on January 20. Four days later, police arrested 21-year-old Teresa Youngblut.
The United States Attorney’s Office District of Vermont has charged Youngblut with assault on a federal law enforcement officer,” the FBI’s office in Albany said.
“Our hearts remain with our partners a at U.S. BorderPatrol Swanton Sector as they mourn this tremendous loss.”
Maland died after a traffic stop involving Youngblut between Newport and Orleans. During the incident, Youngblut allegedly opened fire, prompting federal agents to fatally shoot her passenger, Felix Bauckholt.
A day after the fatal shooting, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alerted federally licensed gun dealers to contact its Vermont office if they had information about any firearms sold to Zajko.
Zajko allegedly bought .40-caliber and .380-caliber handguns in February 2024 in Mount Tabor, Vermont. Police linked the handguns to Maland’s shooting, according to court documents.
NBC 5 reports that Zajko may have sold the guns to Yungblut.
Prosecutors also revealed that Zajko is considered a “person of interest” in a double murder in Pennsylvania and another murder in California, FOX News Digital reports.
A multistate police bulletin issued last week named Zajko in the Pennsylvania homicides from 2023. The bulletin stated she might be driving a green 2013 Subaru Outback with an expired Vermont registration. In January 2023, Zajko’s parents, Richard and Rita Zajko, aged 71 and 68, were found shot to death inside their home in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Vermont linked Zajko to the Border Patrol agent’s death. While the records do not directly implicate her in the incident, they allege—without naming her—that she may have supplied at least two semiautomatic handguns to the individuals involved in the shooting.
Authorities urge anyone with information to contact PSP Tips at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online. Individuals can also reach out to their local Pennsylvania State Police Station or the Criminal Investigation Unit.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo via FBI]