A Vermont native who was a rising star in the world of off-road bike racing was fatally shot last week in Austin, Texas, where she was staying with a friend ahead of a competition.

Anna Moriah Wilson, a 25-year-old East Burke native known in the cycling community as "Mo," traveled to Texas from her Colorado home in preparation for a 150-mile gravel race that she was favored to win, according to biking magazine VeloNews.

A friend returned home late May 11 to find Wilson unconscious and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds, the Austin Police Department said in a press release. Emergency responders could not save Wilson's life, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.



Police have ruled Wilson's death a homicide and say they have identified a person of interest. "The shooting does not appear to be a random act," APD said in a statement on Saturday.  A spokesperson said Monday that there were no further details available at this time.

Wilson hails from a well-known central Vermont skiing family: Her father raced professionally, and her aunt is a two-time Olympian. Wilson herself skied competitively at Burke Mountain Academy and Dartmouth College, where she earned an engineering degree.

In a recent interview with VeloNews, Wilson said she biked recreationally growing up in Vermont but had only started to pursue it professionally within the last few years.

She burst onto the national scene this year, picking up several wins at high-profile gravel and mountain bike events. She recently quit a full-time job at a cycling company so that she could focus on her summer racing schedule, which included a trip to East Africa.

"Looking forward to chasing big dreams this season," she wrote in a January post on Instagram.

In a statement, Wilson's family called her death "unfathomable" but asked that people celebrate her "life, accomplishments, and love for others."

"Always pushing tirelessly to reach her goals, we knew she was pursuing that which she loved," the statement read. "We will miss her terribly and know that all mourn her with us."

The statement, issued ahead of the May 14 race that Wilson had traveled to Texas for, encouraged organizers to move forward with the event.

"We know that Moriah would want the event to carry on, for her compatriots to test their limits, as she would have been alongside her friends on the race course," it read. "We hope everyone feels her passion and support as they chase their own dreams. Her spirit will be there with you all, while training and on every race day."

Many cyclists, including the woman who went on to win that race, have since shared remembrances of Wilson.

"Although I did not know her personally, I have been inspired by her," Marisa Boaz wrote in an Instagram post. "Her physical gifts, her humility and her light she so easily gave to others."