Bel Air, Maryland – After months of relentless investigation, authorities have apprehended the suspect believed to be responsible for the tragic murder of Rachel Morin while she was hiking along a Maryland trail last summer. Thanks to DNA evidence and tracking efforts, local police and the FBI were able to locate and arrest Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in connection with the 2023 killing.
Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was found lifeless on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail on August 6, 2023, just a day after her boyfriend reported her missing when she failed to return home from a hiking trip. The Harford County Sherriff, Jeffrey Gahler, expressed gratitude to his team, the FBI, and the community for their unwavering dedication in seeking justice for Morin and her family.
Martinez-Hernandez, a 23-year-old individual, is set to face charges of first-degree murder and first-degree rape upon extradition to Maryland. Investigators suspect that Morin was assaulted on the trail before being dragged through a wooded area and ultimately killed in a drainage culvert adjacent to the trail, as per previous statements from the sheriff’s office.
Further evidence tying Martinez-Hernandez to the crime scene emerged when DNA recovered at the scene was found to match DNA from a 2023 home invasion in Los Angeles, where a suspect’s DNA had been identified following the assault of a 9-year-old girl. Despite having this crucial DNA evidence and video footage from the break-in, authorities struggled to ascertain the suspect’s identity until May.
According to investigators, Martinez-Hernandez illegally entered the U.S. last year from El Salvador, where he was wanted for the murder of a woman. The breakthrough came two weeks ago, when authorities tracked him to Tulsa and subsequently issued an arrest warrant on Friday. Gahler revealed that Morin’s family was informed of the warrant before the suspect’s apprehension.
During a news conference following the arrest, Patricia Morin, the victim’s mother, expressed gratitude to the investigators and the media for their role in locating the suspect. Describing a moment of hopelessness during the investigation, she recalled being advised by a detective to have patience, a strategy that ultimately paid off in the end. The motive behind the murder remains unknown, but Gahler emphasized that it appeared the suspect acted alone.
As the investigation into the homicide continues, details regarding the suspect’s legal representation and the scheduling of an extradition date have yet to be disclosed. The successful identification and arrest of Martinez-Hernandez underscore the vital role of DNA evidence in modern criminal investigations, marking a significant step forward in bringing closure to the Morin family and the community at large.