One of the shooters was a tweedy, unkempt nerd with long, messy hair, and a penchant for math — and violence.
On Monday morning, Felix Bauckholt was a nobody. By the early afternoon, he had drawn the interest of the U.S. Border Patrol. And by dusk, he was toe-tagged in the morgue.
Now, the former University of Waterloo math whiz has been named as one of the shooters in the shootout 32 km south of the Canadian border that also killed U.S. Border Patrol agent David Maland, 44.
According to WCAX News, Baukholt was a German citizen. While the FBI said his work visa was current, earlier reports suggested that it had expired.
Also named in court papers is the woman the feds say started the fireworks. She is Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, Washington. Youngblut studied computer science at the University of Washington, graduating in 2020.
The FBI Albany Field Office confirmed to the Toronto Sun that Youngblut is charged with assault on a federal law enforcement officer.
“Our hearts remain with our partners at U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector as they mourn this tremendous loss,” the bureau said in an emailed statement.
Police sources have also hinted that a third person may have been involved with the suspects.
According to the feds, the Border Patrol pulled over Baukholt’s Prius on I-94 for an immigration inspection. At the time, the car was driven by Youngblut.
Multiple agents were in on the stop.
But according to court papers, within 15 minutes gunfire erupted. WCAX said Youngblut squeezed off two shots aimed at one of the Border Patrol agents. Then Baukholt attempted to draw his gun but, so far, it isn’t clear whether he fired.
Both Maland and Baukholt died in the shootout and Youngblut was transported to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where she remains under guard.
Baukholt and his gal pal had been under surveillance for a week after a tip from a local hotel where the pair had been holed up for five days before the shootout.
The Vermont State Police bomb squad scoured the couple’s room and car “due to concerns with the vehicle.” While cops didn’t locate any explosives, they did discover multiple laptops, tactical gear, including night vision goggles, a ballistic helmet, dozens of rounds of ammo, two-way radios and two cellphones wrapped in what appeared to be aluminum foil.
FBI officials have been unusually quiet and reluctant to release information regarding the investigation, including the names.
According to investigators, the feds tried to speak with the duo — who concealed their faces in N-95 masks — but the pair blew them off. Instead, they claimed they were in the area looking to purchase property.
Bauckholt’s now-deleted LinkedIn profile says he worked in the New York office of Tower Research Capital, the high-frequency trading firm. He joined Tower in October 2021 following two years at Radix Trading.
The German native graduated from Waterloo with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. In 2014 and 2015, Bauckholt won gold and bronze medals at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
One online report suggested that the doomed math whiz used the name “Ophelia.”
Bauckholt and Youngblut raised suspicions at the Newport City Inn and Suites where they stayed in Room 51. He kept in the shadows, she kept her mask on.
“I did ask her to lower it so I could check her ID, and she refused to. But we don’t push the issue when it comes to stuff like that. We just do the best we can,” Chastity Deroehn told WCAX.
Now, Youngblut faces multiple charges in federal court in connection with the deadly shooting. The feds have still not released Bauckholt’s name nor have they suggested a motive or what the pair were doing in the remote Vermont wilderness.
The investigation continues.
@HunterTOSun