Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Police say she died from ‘a random act of violence’

Rachel Morin left her residence in Bel Air, Maryland, at round 6pm on Saturday 5 August, and headed to a popular hiking path simply exterior of city.

When the mother-of-five didn’t return that evening, her new boyfriend Richard Tobin referred to as police at about 11pm to report her lacking, in response to Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler.

The subsequent morning, the 37-year-old’s automotive was situated on the Williams St entrance to the Ma and Pa Path.

At 1.07pm on 6 August, a member of the general public referred to as 911 to report discovering a lady’s physique close to the path.

After her household was left to mourn her mysterious demise with none solutions for days, lastly on 17 August, investigators introduced a main break within the case: they found DNA on the crime scene.

Past this, that DNA matches a pattern taken from a 26 March residence invasion and assault of a younger lady throughout the nation. Now, police are trying to find leads on the right way to discover the suspect.

The suspected assassin and Morin probably didn’t know one another, as police have referred to as the incident a “doubtlessly a random act of violence.”

“This was not an (unintended) demise, and she didn’t go willingly and she deserves a funeral worthy of her magnificence,” Rebekah Morin wrote on the GoFundMe web page to boost cash for her burial and supply for her 5 younger kids. It has since raised practically $50,000.

Richard Tobin, Morin’s 27-year-old boyfriend, wrote on social media after the break within the case: “I hope they found this scum of the earth.”

Mr Tobin was beforehand compelled to disclaim any involvement in her killing after he got here underneath intense hypothesis early within the case. He has not been named a suspect by police and has maintained his innocence.

What we all know

On 6 August morning, regulation enforcement officers in Maryland issued an pressing plea for details about Ms Morin’s whereabouts.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Workplace stated Ms Morin was final seen at round 6pm the day earlier than leaving to stroll on the Ma and Pa Path.

She was described as 5’2 (1.57m), 107 kilos (48kgs), with blonde hair and blue eyes. Ms Morin had been carrying a blue or black tank high, black sports activities bra, black spandex shorts, and grey sneakers when she was final sighted.

Mr Tobin knowledgeable authorities that his girlfriend’s automotive was at a parking zone on the Williams St trailhead. Authorities recovered the automobile on Sunday morning, and it’s being processed for proof, the sheriff’s division stated.

The grim information that a physique had been found by a member of the general public close to the path adopted a few hours later.

Sheriff Gahler stated at a press convention that authorities “firmly imagine” the physique is Ms Morin, however have been awaiting official affirmation from the health worker’s workplace.

“I’m not going to enter what, bodily, they noticed on the scene. However investigators imagine sadly that it’s a murder case,” Sheriff Gahler stated, including that investigators”strongly believed” the physique was Mr Morin.

“Proper now, detectives proceed to work the case as aggressively as they presumably can, and we’ll go away no stone unturned,” Sheriff Gahler stated.

Crime scene tape and police cruisers have been seen for about half a mile into the Ma and Pa Path on 6 August, in response to WBAL TV.

Bel Air, the county seat of Harford County, is a city of about 10,000 residents situated 30 miles (48kms) north of Baltimore, close to the state border with Pennsylvania.

The realm has many popular hiking trails, and authorities warned hikers to be on excessive alert as they continued to analyze Ms Morin’s demise.

“Fortunately we don’t have an excessive amount of violent crime in Harford County, however when we’ve got one, I choose after I can stand right here and let you know that the suspect has been arrested or that it’s a focused crime.

“I can’t let you know that’s the case,” he stated.

Sheriff Gahler urged individuals to not put on headphones whereas out on the path to allow them to bear in mind of their environment, carry a whistle or alert gadget, go for walks or runs with mates or members of the family, and let members of the family know the place they’re.

“For those who see one thing that feels suspicious, take out your cellphone and name 911,” he stated.

Sheriff Gahler additionally pleaded for the general public to report any piece of data, regardless of how insignificant it might sound.

On 16 August, Harford County investigators stated they found DNA on the crime scene, which corresponds with a pattern taken from a March crime scene in Los Angeles the place a man invaded a residence and assaulted a younger lady. Nevertheless, police stated they “don’t have a clue” the place the suspect is at the moment.

The suspect stays unnamed, however has been described by police as a Hispanic male aged 20-30, 5ft 9in tall, weighing 160 kilos with a “muscular construct.” They say it’s unlikely the suspect knew Morin, calling the killing a “doubtlessly a random act of violence.”

They added that they imagine he has “ties to the Los Angeles space and will have been concerned in violent crimes in different states.” Police have launched footage of the suspect, and are asking individuals to ship in ideas in the event that they know something that may establish the suspect.

Who’s Rachel Morin?

Ms Morin was initially from Dover, New Hampshire, and was a long-term resident of Bel Air. She was one of 5 siblings.

Her sister Rebekah, herself a mom of seven kids, revealed on a GoFundMe web page that the household had been grieving the demise of their niece Lily Beth to sudden toddler demise syndrome simply a week earlier.

“It’s with devastating disappointment and a damaged coronary heart that our household has been hit with one more heartbreak. 

“My sister, Rachel Morin went lacking on Saturday August 5 2023 round 6pm. In much less then 24 hours her physique was found by native regulation enforcement. It has solely been a week since my niece Lily Beth handed away from SIDS, and I discover that I’ve to make one more gofundme to assist my mom, Patty Morin with funeral prices.”

Rebekah confirmed that her sister didn’t have life insurance coverage, and appealed for monetary help to offer for her 5 surviving kids.

In an replace, Rebekah requested for anybody with data to inform regulation enforcement to “get justice for my sister, her kids, her mom and all her siblings”.

On social media, Rachel Morin posted touching pictures along with her kids, selfies on the fitness center and spending time with mates.

“Rachel was so unabashedly herself: witty and real, sensible, daring, and headstrong. Her spirit would gentle up the room and her smile was contagious,” her greatest good friend Claudia Brown wrote in a Fb publish after her demise.

“Her religion was so robust,”

Ms Brown wrote that Ms Morin had been divorced, and was a “fierce protector of her kids and cherished them with all of her coronary heart”.

Ms Morin had labored as a mannequin, and appeared on the quilt of Owl Journal, Harford Neighborhood Faculty’s pupil publication, the place her brother John Morin labored as a technical director.

In 2018, she shared pictures from a journey to New Zealand to go to John, who was working as a photographer within the city of Whakatane.

In a publish in February, Ms Morin shared a foreboding quote to her Fb web page: “Danger might be harmful, however routine might be lethal. Consolation has killed extra goals than daring ever did.”

Ms Morin additionally began her personal cleansing enterprise, East Coast Cleaners, in 2019, in response to Open Corporates.

On 1 August, Ms Morin and Mr Tobin shared information of their relationship on Fb.

“Solely began taking pics few weeks in the past.. however these are a few of my favorites. From the seaside to the mountains,” she wrote together with pictures of the couple.

Court docket information present Mr Tobin has two arrests for second-degree assault, and separate arrests for violating restraining orders, malicious destruction of property and drug possession relationship again to 2014

Mr Tobin has additionally confronted expenses of being a fugitive from justice, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication, in response to Maryland judiciary case search information.

Authorities haven’t launched any details about potential suspects, nor linked Mr Tobin in any option to the murder inquiry.

The Impartial has tried to achieve Mr Tobin, however a publicly listed cellphone quantity went straight to voicemail on Monday.

Following the police releasing video of the suspect, Mr Tobin posted on Fb: “Please assist establish this scum bag.”

What’s The Ma and Pa Path?

The 6.25 mile (10km) path will get it title from the previous Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad hall that ran via the city of Bel Air in Harford County.

The monitor was dismantled within the Fifties, and later was a heritage path alongside the railroad’s former route.

It consists of a 3.3mile part via Bel Air and a 1.7mile phase in neighbouring Forest Hill.

In accordance with Alltrails.com, the path is reasonably difficult and takes round 2 hours and 25 minutes to finish.

Within the wake of Ms Morin’s demise, authorities have warned hikers to take explicit care and bear in mind of their environment.