Suspect in Rachel Morin's Murder Linked to Violent Assault of Young Girl In LA Area

Harford Sheriff's Office Provides No ID But Cites DNA Evidence

By Gary Gately

The suspect in the death of Rachel Morin has been linked by DNA evidence to the violent home invasion and assault of a young girl in the Los Angeles area in March, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said tonight. 

Colonel William Davis did not identify the suspect but showed video of him from a security camera outside the LA home of the girl without a shirt and without his face visible. 

Davis told reporters at a Bel Air news conference that investigators believe the suspect acted alone in the murder of Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five killed March 5 on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail winding through Bel AIr. 

"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."

He said DNA evidence collected at the Bel Air murder scene, then analyzed by Maryland State Police matched that of the suspect in the Southern California assault of the young girl. 

The Sheriff’s Office said the suspect weighs about 190 pounds, stands 5 foot 9 and has dark hair and a mustache. He may have been involved in crimes in other states, the office said, without elaborating. 

The death of the 37-year-old mother of five on a walking trail August 5 has attracted millions of views on social media, wild speculation from armchair detectives, sexual innuendos and even a widely reported account of the discovery of the 37-year-old’s bludgeoned and bloody body that proved to be fabricated.

The Sheriff’s Office has received hundreds of tips.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Rachel Morin (Photo: Harford County Sheriff’s Office)

If you spot any errors, want to share news tips, pitch story ideas or submit a first-person piece, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you. Thanks again for reading, and have a nice weekend. Gary Gately, Editor, The Baltimore Observer, garymichaelgately@gmail.com, 410-382-4364.

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