Authorities released a video showing the suspected killer of Rachel Morin. (Harford County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities believe a man seen in surveillance video in a home invasion and assault of a girl in Los Angeles in March killed a 37-year-old mother of five while she hiked on a trail thousands of miles away in Maryland last weekend.
Rachel Morin went out for a run on Aug. 5 and didn’t come back. The Harford County Sheriff’s Office released a video showing the suspect they believe killed Morin, and officials called for anyone who can identify him to come forward.
“Everyone with the same goal — find the killer and bring justice to Rachel,” Colonel William Davis said during a news conference.
Authorities said DNA evidence came back as a match tied to the LA case this past March, but unfortunately, that suspect has not been identified, Davis said.
Anyone who can identify this unknown male, or has additional information, is asked to contact the Harford County Sheriff’s Office at our tip line (410) 836-7788 or via email at [email protected]. pic.twitter.com/U1niUnCmwB
— Harford Sheriff (@Harford_Sheriff) August 18, 2023
“Based on the DNA evidence, we consider the individual and the video we obtained from the Los Angeles Police Department and that we are about to show you on our TV screens to be the person that murdered Rachel Moran on August 5th,” he said.
Officials believe the culprit is between 5 foot 9, 160 pounds and of Hispanic descent.
Authorities believe the man acted alone and didn’t represent the entire Hispanic community of Harford County.
Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, called out the unknown “heinous coward” that authorities believe killed Morin along the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air.
Earlier this week, authorities said they were working around the clock to piece together a comprehensive timeline of the “days, hours, minutes, and seconds before Rachel died,” the sheriff said.
Authorities said tips have been pouring in and encouraged the public to keep it up, even if the details seem insignificant.
Authorities are patrolling both ends of the hiking trails.
Morin’s boyfriend reported her missing late Saturday night, several hours after she was last seen alive. Morin was found dead Sunday afternoon. Her car was found parked at a trail entrance.
After news of the homicide spread far and wide, would-be online sleuths swarmed a relationship status update from Aug. 1 posted by Morin’s new boyfriend, Richard Tobin, speculating that he could be to blame even though authorities had not accused him of wrongdoing.
Tobin responded directly to hundreds of commenters pointing the finger at him. He asked for space to grieve the loss of a woman he loves.
“I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve. Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please,” Tobin wrote Sunday.
Rebekah Morin, Rachel’s sister, said on a fundraising page she had no idea the number of people she touched.
“We want all those who loved her to grieve with us and celebrate her life,” she wrote.
Law&Crime’s Matt Naham contributed to this report.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Video shows suspected killer of Rachel Morin