One guy has been arrested in Oklahoma on suspicion of killing and raping Rachel Morin, who was discovered dead ten months ago near a hiking route in Maryland.
Rachel Morin Murder Case:
Following a ten-month nationwide investigation, detectives announced on Friday that they had apprehended the man who they believe killed Rachel Morin during a hike on a Maryland path the previous summer.
Jeffrey Gahler, the sheriff of Harford County, informed reporters on Saturday that Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was apprehended by the FBI and local law enforcement in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in connection with the 2023 death, according to DNA evidence and tracking.
On August 6, 2023, Morin, 37, a mother of five, was discovered dead on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail. The previous day, her boyfriend had filed a missing person’s report when she failed to return after a hike. Gahler claimed that to bring justice to Morin and her family, he and his team, the FBI, and the community worked nonstop. He remarked that our deputies and collaborators have handled this case with tenacity and enthusiasm daily.
DNA Evidence:
When Martinez-Hernandez, 23, is extradited to Maryland, he will face charges of murder and first-degree rape, according to Gahler. According to the sheriff’s office, investigators think Morin was assaulted on the route, pulled into a forested area, and then slain in a drainage ditch that runs beside the trail.
Shortly after Morin’s body was discovered to be connected to a Los Angeles house invasion in 2023, where a suspect’s DNA had been found, DNA evidence was retrieved at the crime site. The LA instance involved an attack on a 9-year-old child, the sheriff said. Gahler stated that even though they had the video and DNA evidence from the break-in, they did not have the suspect’s identity until May.
Martinez-Hernandez was wanted by the FBI and sheriff for the suspected murder of a lady in El Salvador, where he entered the country illegally last year. Gahler stated, “Now that we had the new DNA evidence, we knew who he was, but we didn’t know where he was.” The suspect was in Tulsa two weeks ago, and an arrest warrant was issued on Friday. Before the arrest, Gahler said that his staff had discreetly notified Morin’s family of the warrant.
The mother of the victim, Patricia Morin, thanked the police and media for their assistance in apprehending the perpetrator while fighting back tears.”The lead detective once told me, ‘Patience will win in the end,’ when things looked bleak and hopeless,” she stated during the press conference. “I’m very thankful and very grateful.” The homicide inquiry is still in progress. Gahler noted that while the reason for the murder is yet unknown to the authorities, it seems the suspect acted alone. It took some time for the suspect’s attorney information to become accessible. No date for extradition has been established.