A woman from Washington state, Teresa Youngblut, 21, has been charged in relation to the deadly shooting of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland, 44, in Vermont. Recent court documents revealed that she had maintained consistent communication with an individual associated with homicide cases in both Pennsylvania and California.
Youngblut is facing two weapons-related charges connected to the incident, which occurred on January 20 in Coventry, a small town located roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Canadian border. At the time, she was accompanied by Felix Bauckholt, a German national who also lost his life in the shootout. The pair had been monitored by law enforcement for several days prior to the shooting.
In a motion presented to the court, U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher has requested Youngblut’s detention pending further proceedings, highlighting the serious nature of the crime, substantial evidence against her, her weak ties to Vermont, and the potential threat she poses to the community. According to the prosecution, the firearms used by Youngblut and Bauckholt were purchased by a third party in Vermont the previous February who is now considered a person of interest in a double homicide case in Pennsylvania.
Both Youngblut and the aforementioned purchaser were said to be in regular contact with an individual linked to another homicide investigation in Vallejo, California, as stated in the motion filed by the prosecutor. Drescher emphasized that the combination of Youngblut’s firearm possession, her travel history, and her associations indicate a significant risk to public safety that could not be mitigated through bail conditions.
Youngblut appeared in federal court in Burlington on Monday, with a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. The public defender assigned to her case did not respond to requests for comments, and officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont also refrained from commenting on the matter.
As laid out in an FBI affidavit, a border agent conducted a routine immigration check on Youngblut and Bauckholt while they were traveling along Interstate 91. Initially, Bauckholt was thought to have an expired visa, but this was later verified to be current. During the encounter, Youngblut allegedly exited the vehicle and opened fire on Agent Maland and other agents without provocation. The affidavit also notes that Bauckholt attempted to retrieve a firearm but was shot before he could do so.
At least one border agent returned fire during the exchange, although it remains unclear which shots struck which individuals in the altercation. The investigation is ongoing, according to FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane.
Youngblut and Bauckholt had been under “periodic surveillance” beginning on January 14 after hotel personnel raised concerns about their behavior, noting Youngblut’s possession of a gun and the duo’s tactical attire. When questioned, the pair claimed they were in the area to purchase property but did not engage further.
During a post-incident search of their car, authorities discovered several items including cellphones wrapped in foil, a ballistic helmet, night-vision apparatus, respirators, ammunition, shooting range targets, two-way radios, multiple electronic devices, travel and lodging information for various states, and what appeared to be a journal.
In a separate incident reported in May, Youngblut’s parents alerted Seattle police that she had gone missing. They described her departure with multiple bags filled with personal items, including her passport, and expressed worries about her altered behavior, which included lying about her whereabouts and discontinuing contact with friends. They suspected she might be in a coercive relationship.
Interestingly, records indicate that Youngblut obtained a marriage license to a different man in November, which was not Bauckholt. Attempts to reach out to Youngblut’s family met with limited success, as her grandfather declined to comment and no one answered at associated residences.
Bauckholt had an impressive academic background, having graduated with honors in mathematics from the University of Waterloo in Canada in 2018. He was recognized for his achievements in computer programming competitions and held a position within the university’s computer science club. Additionally, he was awarded a scholarship and had received medals in international mathematics and informatics competitions.
A now-removed LinkedIn profile indicated that Bauckholt was employed as a quantitative trader at a financial firm in New York since October 2021. Attempts to verify this information with the firm were made, but responses have yet to be confirmed.
