Memorial ride for slain cyclist set for Sunday in Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cyclists from across Austin will gather Sunday evening to honor the life of an up-and-coming star in the sport who was murdered earlier this month.

Anna Moriah Wilson, who went by "Mo," was found bleeding and unconscious by a friend she was staying with at an east Austin home the night of May 11. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

VeloNews reported Wilson was in Texas ahead of the Gravel Locos race in Hico, where she was expected to win.

Authorities are now searching for Kaitlin Armstrong, 34, who's accused of first-degree murder in connection with Wilson's death. A warrant was issued for her arrest Friday, and according to court documents, she has not been seen or heard from since May 13.

Cyclists plan to gather Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Republic Square Park, according to the Facebook event, where Wilson's family is set to share some words about her.

Afterward, cyclists will embark on a short ride to Deep Eddy Pool, the place Wilson visited before she died the same day.

According to VeloNews, Wilson specialized in gravel and mountain bike racing. Among the races she had already won this year were the Fuego 80K at Sea Otter and the Belgian Waffle Ride in San Diego. Wilson was even planning to travel to Africa for a couple races there.

The Wilson family created a GoFundMe to raise money for organizations that help young kids find self confidence through biking, skiing and other hobbies Wilson enjoyed. As of early Monday afternoon, more than $73,000 of the fundraiser's $100,000 goal had been collected.

Background on the case so far

According to an arrest affidavit, Wilson went swimming with a friend, a pro-cyclist named Colin Strickland, before her death. Strickland told police he had been in a relationship with Armstrong for about three years, but during a break in their relationship, he said he met and began dating Wilson.

Wilson's family released a statement Saturday addressing the alleged love triangle, saying, “while we will not elaborate about the ongoing investigation, we do feel it’s important to clarify that at the time of her death, those closest to her clearly understood, directly from Moriah, that she was not in a romantic relationship with anyone."

After Strickland dropped Wilson back off at the east Austin home she was staying at, the affidavit said security cam footage shows Armstrong’s car pulling up to the home one minute later.

Detectives also analyzed shell casings found at the scene against a gun belonging to Armstrong, the affidavit said. “The potential that the same firearm was involved is significant,” detectives wrote in the affidavit.

Anyone with details on Armstrong’s location is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1 (800) 336-0102 or submit a tip using the USMS Tips app. You can also submit a tip to Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 893-8477.