Maryland police have used DNA evidence to link Rachel Morin’s murder suspect to an unidentified man accused of assaulting a young girl and committing a home invasion in Los Angeles, California.
Rachel Morin was last seen alive on Aug. 5 when she went for a hike in Bel Air, Maryland. Morin’s boyfriend notified authorities that the 37-year-old mother of five had gone missing.
The next day, the naked body of Morin was found near the drainage tunnels on the Ma and Pa Trail. Morin reportedly suffered from severe head trauma, and it appeared that her face had been smashed with a rock.
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler called Morin’s death “an intentional taking of a person’s life.”
During a press conference on Thursday night, Col. William Davis of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office announced that investigators finally have a suspect in Rachel’s murder.
The suspect left DNA at the crime scene, and the Maryland State Police ran the evidence through the Combined DNA Index System. The DNA matched that of a man suspected of committing a March home invasion in Los Angeles. During the home invasion, the suspect allegedly attacked a young girl.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office released security footage from the Los Angeles home invasion, which shows only the back of the shirtless suspect leaving the property.
Maryland police believe the suspect acted alone in the “violent homicide” of Morin.
Davis said, “I think now it leads us down the path that we believe this was a person that Rachel probably didn’t know. Potentially a random act of violence.”
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office did not have a name for the suspect. Officials described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his 20s, standing 5-foot-9 and weighing approximately 160 pounds.
Davis said his department would be working with the FBI to track down the suspect.
Morin’s boyfriend reacted to the news of a suspect in Rachel’s murder.
“Please help identify this scum bag #ripRachelmorin,” Richard Tobin wrote on Facebook. “I hope they found this scum of the earth. Justice for Rachel. Rip. Love you, Rach.”
Joseph Murtha, attorney for Morin’s family, released a statement Friday that read: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Rachel Morin, and our hearts go out to her family during this difficult time. Our firm is committed to providing support to the Morin family as justice is pursued.”
Anyone with information on the Rachel Morin murder case is encouraged to contact police at 410-836-7788 or email RMtips@HarfordSheriff.org.
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Rachel Morin’s boyfriend Richard Tobin begs for help finding her ‘scum of the Earth’ murder suspectwww.youtube.com