Two weeks after investigators released footage of the man believed to have murdered Rachel Morin, he remains unidentified. Detectives are now conducting a nationwide search for the killer as Rachel Morin’s family lays her to rest.
“The hardest thing is for a mom to have to plan her child’s funeral because it shouldn’t be,” said a mourner.
This week, investigators from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office are in Chicago and Los Angeles following leads in the search for Rachel Morin’s killer. Saturday will mark four weeks since the mother of five went for a walk on the Ma and Pa Trail in Belair, Maryland, and never returned. Her body was found the next day, and a homicide investigation began.
Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, vanished while walking on a Maryland trail.
DNA from the crime scene matched DNA from a case in Los Angeles from last March. In that case, a man assaulted a young girl during a home invasion. That’s how investigators obtained the video footage of the suspect.
Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler spoke about the latest developments in the investigation and why he believes Morin’s killer will strike again if not apprehended.
“Since the release on August 17th, where we released the video footage and stills from that footage, we’ve had hundreds of tips come in,” said Gahler. “I think we’re somewhere around 500 to 600 tips since the investigation began.”
Investigators are diligently following up on all leads. They were in Los Angeles last week working with local detectives and the FBI, and in Chicago earlier this week. While the specific details of the Chicago lead remain undisclosed, the investigation is actively pursuing every possible avenue.
Despite the influx of tips, the suspect’s whereabouts remain unknown. He could still be in the community, could have returned to Los Angeles, or could be anywhere in the country or even the world.
“Our investigators are committed, I’m committed, we’ll look under any rock until we find this guy and put him behind bars,” Gahler asserted. “Our investigators continue to work all the leads that come in, but we’re still asking for the public’s support to share that video.”
The most alarming aspect of the case is the escalation in the suspect’s alleged violence, from a home invasion and assault of a child to the suspected murder of a woman on a trail.
A screenshot of the suspect from the home security video released by authorities.
While investigators believe the attack on Morin was likely random, there is a chance it was targeted, and they haven’t ruled out the possibility that their paths may have crossed at some point.
“He seems to have escalated. He’s gone from a home invasion and an assault against a juvenile female to a homicide here in our county,” Gahler said, expressing his concern. “My concern is—and I’ve said the same thing—he seems to have escalated. He’s gone from a home invasion and an assault against a juvenile female to a homicide here in our County.”
Gahler also expressed concern about other potential victims: “And there’s nothing right now to stop him from doing it again. You know, I believe our investigators believe he will do it again, and i- I’ve said, I wake up in the morning concerned that somewhere between Los Angeles and Maryland, there may be another homicide out there that just hasn’t had the DNA hit yet that will eventually tie back to him.”
The escalation in violence is terrifying, and if the attack was random, there’s nothing to stop him from doing it again. The sheriff believes that until the suspect is behind bars, no community is safe.
Rachel Morin’s case is the only other case where DNA has matched the LA case. Maryland has some restrictions on when investigators can use genetic genealogy in cases. Sheriff Gahler was asked if his detectives have considered going that route since the FBI does that work and is assisting with the investigation. He acknowledged that they are exploring every investigative avenue available.
Last weekend, family and friends of Rachel Morin gathered for her funeral. Her mother, Patty Morin, spoke about the pain of losing her daughter.
Patty Morin, mother of Rachel Morin, speaks during a vigil for Rachel in Bel Air, Maryland, on Aug. 13.
“I have been trying for weeks to think about memories of Rachel that I can share because I knew this time was coming, and I have to be honest, my heart and my mind won’t let me go there because it’s too painful,” Patty Morin shared.
Patty Morin also talked about the overwhelming support her family has received following Rachel’s murder, including a walk where 2,000 people came out to remember her at the Ma and Pa Trail.
“We had hundreds of people come up to me and to the other family members and hug them and say, you know, ‘I knew Rachel’, or ‘My daughter knew Rachel’, or ‘I didn’t know Rachel, but I- but I knew who she was and she always said hi and she always smiled’,” Patty Morin said. “And we think those are like little ordinary things, but they actually mean- means- mean something to people. And to have 2,000 people come out because somehow Rachel in her ordinary life affected them, I think that’s really amazing.”
Sheriff Gahler offered his condolences and reassurance to the family.
“Our victim, our investigators, and our victim service advocates are in contact with the family. They had a memorial service for Rachel over the weekend. You know, you- you- you want to say they’re doing well, but you can’t put the- the word ‘well’ with, you know, having lost uh, this- this young woman,” Gahler said. “You know, the mother of five, the daughter to a mom and dad, she has a brother and a sister who- who lost a sibling. So there’s, you know, I- I say ‘well’ with the big- the big asterisk next to it, that there is no ‘doing well’.”
Gahler reiterated their commitment to finding the suspect and providing justice for Rachel: “And there, the only- the only thing that we can offer uh, at this point in time is- is to find this guy and assure them that someone else isn’t going to, you know, suffer the same fate that Rachel suffered. And- and bring this guy to justice for them.”
Harford County has set up a dedicated email address for tips in Rachel Morin’s case. Anyone with information is urged to email RMTips@HarfordSheriff.org or call 410-836-7788.
