Background: The Azle (Tex.) Police Department (Google Maps). Inset top: Kruz Dean Wanser (Azle Police Department). Inset bottom: Margaret Pennington (Legacy.com obituary).
A fugitive — seen in a booking photo wearing a sweatshirt with a chilling message on it — has been caught after allegedly going on the run following the suspicious death of a woman inside a Texas home.
Kruz Dean Wanser was arrested Thursday, according to a Facebook post from the Azle Police Department. The police said that Wanser was “sought in connection to the suspicious death” of Margaret Pennington, 37.
“Pennington was located deceased inside an Azle residence on Sunday, January 11, 2026,” the police statement said, adding that the “cause of death is still pending.”
In his booking photo, Wanser is wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt with a provocative statement printed on it in striking white letters.
“I will put you in a trunk and help people look for you,” the sweatshirt says in bold, all-caps block letters.
That phrase is followed by the words “Stop playing with me” written in a more whimsical font.
The Azle Police Department statement called Wanser “a wanted fugitive.” He has been charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence to impair a human corpse, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and parole violation.
A search of Tarrant County records indicates that someone with the name Kruz Dean Wanser has previously been charged with possession of a controlled substance, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, and evading arrest with a vehicle.
An online obituary remembers Pennington as having a “creative and sentimental spirit,” noting that although she was “small in stature, she had a strong presence and a way of leaving an impression on those who knew her.”
“Margaret’s life was a tapestry of complexity, yet she embodied the essence of humanity and the profound love she shared,” the online tribute also said. “She will be remembered for her creativity, humor, and the unwavering love that radiated from within her.”
The investigation into Pennington’s death “is an open investigation and anyone with any information related to the death of Pennington is encouraged to contact the Azle Police Department,” Azle police noted in the online statement.
Azle is located some 50 miles west of Dallas.
