Police are looking for a Texas woman suspected of shooting and killing professional bicycle racer Anna Moriah Wilson who was linked to the suspect’s husband.
The Austin Police Department issued a warrant Tuesday for the arrest of 35-year-old Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, whom they say shot and killed the 25-year-old cyclist on May 11, ABC News reported.
A police report says that Wilson was found at a friend’s home bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.
The Austin police immediately identified Armstrong as a person of interest and issued an arrest warrant after a surveillance video captured the woman’s automobile stopped outside the home where the victim was found shot.
“Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force are actively conducting a fugitive investigation and pursuing leads on the whereabouts of Armstrong,” the U.S. Marshals Service added on Friday when they joined the hunt for the suspect.
Police investigators found that the victim had briefly dated Austin-based pro cyclist Colin Strickland, 35, in October and November of last year. Strickland told them he dated Wilson when he and the suspected shooter had paused their relationship. But Strickland went back to Armstrong after he stopped dating Wilson.
Strickland added that Armstrong was very jealous over Wilson, and he had to delete Wilson’s information on his phone to stop Armstrong from getting angry over the short relationship he had with his fellow cyclist.
A police affidavit also noted that several acquaintances of Strickland and Armstrong said that Armstrong was distraught over Strickland’s short time with Wilson. One witness even said Armstrong said she wanted to “kill” Wilson.
After police confronted Armstrong about seeing her car out in front of the home in which Wilson was found dead, Armstrong deleted her social media, then went on the run, and “has not been seen or heard from since this time.” She was last seen on May 13.
Police also say they have recovered a firearm that they feel has a “significant” connection to the shooting.
Colin Strickland released a statement saying he is devastated to have had any part in the incident.
“There are no words that can express the pain and suffering we are experiencing due to this senseless, tragic loss. Moriah was a talented, kind, and caring young woman,” her family said in a statement. “Her life was taken from her before she had the opportunity to achieve everything she dreamed of. Our family, and all those who loved her, will forever miss her.”
The family added that they hope to create a foundation in Wilson’s name to honor her life.
Wilson had recently won several gravel and mountain bike races and had only recently earned enough on her races to quit her job to focus on racing full time. She was set to compete in the 157-mile Gravel Locos in Hico, Texas, on May 14.
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