Moriah 'Mo' Wilson was shot dead at an apartment in Austin, Texas | Sticky Bottle

*Moriah 'Mo' Wilson was shot dead at an apartment in Austin, Texas, last week and now police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in the case*

Police in America investigating the shooting dead of top gravel rider Moriah Wilson (25) intend to arrest Kaitlin Marie Armstrong (34), the partner of US pro gravel rider Colin Strickland.

Evidence gathered in the investigation so far suggests Wilson went for a swim with Strickland last Wednesday, May 11^th, in Austin, Texas. She had traveled to the city, from San Francisco, in advance of a race she planned to ride last Saturday.

After going swimming at a local pool with Strickland last Wednesday, Wilson then returned to the apartment she was staying in while in Austin. Later that evening she was shot dead at the apartment. The murder has shocked US cycling, especially the gravel scene, as Wilson was a rapidly emerging and very popular rider.

An arrest warrant has now been issued for Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, who is a cyclist and is also involved in Strickland's business, which designs and rebuilds vintage trailers. It is alleged Armstrong went to the apartment where Wilson, known to friends as 'Mo', was staying and shot her to death. Armstrong is named in the warrant for first-degree murder felony charges.

Wilson had intended to ride Gravel Locos last Saturday in Hico, which is between Austin and Dallas, and was favourite to win the race. She arrived in Austin last Tuesday and met Strickland, whom she knew, for a swim the following day.

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However, she was shot dead later that evening, by someone using a 9mm handgun and who wounded her in the head and upper body. The alarm was raised when the woman she was staying with returned home and found Wilson’s body.

Strickland (35), a Red Bull-sponsored pro gravel rider and former top criterium and cyclocross racer, has been interviewed by the police and has been helping them with their inquiries. His status in the case is purely as a witness.

He has told the police after going for a swim with Wilson he dropped her off at the apartment she was staying in at about 8.30pm and then drove to his home nearby, arriving at about 8.45pm. He has also told the police that his partner, Armstrong, was not at home when he arrived but she returned to the property at about 9.20pm in her black Jeep.

Police were checking reports that a vehicle fitting that description was seen on the street outside the apartment block where Wilson was murdered on the night of the killing.

Wilson, a 25-year-old from Vermont, was a very strong MTB and gravel racer. She had recently left her job working for Specialized to focus on her racing career. Last year she was runner-up in the Leadville 100 marathon MTB race before winning the Big Sugar Gravel.

Wilson appeared to have developed significantly this season, taking a string of victories. These included Huffmaster Hopper, Lake Sonoma MTB, Sea Otter Classic Fuego MTB 80K and the Belgian Waffle Ride California.