Bel Air, Maryland – Nearly a year after the tragic death of Rachel Morin, a mother of five found murdered on a hiking trail in Maryland, authorities have announced a significant development in the case. The Harford County Sheriff’s Office revealed that they have made an arrest in connection with Morin’s death.
Victor Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old individual from El Salvador, was apprehended at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler made the announcement during a news conference streamed online, stating that they are relieved that Morin’s alleged killer is in custody and may face justice.
Morin, 37, was discovered deceased last August along the Ma and Pa walking trail in Bel Air, Maryland. Investigators determined that she was taken from the trail and dragged into the woods, where her remains were found the following day.
A breakthrough in the case came when DNA evidence collected at the crime scene was linked to a previous assault and home invasion in California. This crucial lead eventually led authorities to Hernandez, who had been residing illegally in the U.S. since February 2023.
According to reports, Hernandez is believed to have committed a homicide in El Salvador before entering the U.S. He later carried out a violent attack on a nine-year-old girl and her mother during a home invasion in Los Angeles.
Gahler revealed that a new lead emerged three weeks ago, coinciding with what would have been Morin’s 38th birthday. Utilizing genetic genealogy, authorities were able to positively identify Hernandez as a suspect and subsequently locate him in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The sheriff expressed outrage over the tragedy, emphasizing that Hernandez did not enter the country seeking a better life but rather to evade prosecution for the crimes he had committed elsewhere. The community remains in shock at the circumstances surrounding Morin’s untimely death and the revelation of Hernandez’s violent past.