DNA found with Rachel Morins body off Md. trail matches LA crime suspect

Law enforcement agencies working coast-to-coast from Los Angeles to Maryland have identified a suspect in the violent and apparently random killing of a woman who was hiking outside Baltimore earlier this month.

They just don’t have a name.

DNA evidence from the scene where Rachel Morin’s body was found on Aug. 6 on the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Md., matched the DNA collected from a burglarized home in Los Angeles where a young girl was assaulted March 26, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

A doorbell-camera video released by LAPD officials shows a shirtless man exiting the Los Angeles home where the burglary and assault took place, authorities in both jurisdictions said. When the DNA evidence from Maryland was entered in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, it matched the burglary and assault suspect in Los Angeles, they said.

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The suspect is thought to be Hispanic, in his 20s, approximately 5-foot-9 and 160 lbs., but investigators have not linked the DNA profile to a particular person, Col. William Davis of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference Aug. 17. Maryland authorities are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to a conviction.

Anyone who can identify this unknown male, or has additional information, is asked to contact the Harford County Sheriff’s Office at our tip line (410) 836-7788 or via email at RMtips@HarfordSheriff.org. pic.twitter.com/U1niUnCmwB

“We believe this was a person that Rachel probably didn’t know, maybe you could say potentially a random act of violence,” Davis said. “And we’re hoping … that somebody can identify him.”

The LAPD in a statement said its detectives “have been in contact with Harford County investigators to provide any and all information needed to bring the person responsible for such a brutal and senseless murder to justice.”

Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, had gone for a walk Aug. 5 on the Ma and Pa trail but did not return. Her car was found parked at the entrance, and her boyfriend reported her missing that night.

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Joseph Murtha, an attorney for Morin’s family, said her mother, four brothers and sister were encouraged by the new developments in the investigation. A celebration of Morin’s life will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. in the church the family attends, Greater Grace Church of Baltimore, Murtha said.

“Now there’s at least a person who has been identified as the perpetrator,” Murtha said. “Because of the national coverage, they believe that somewhere, someone will know this person and hopefully identify this person to law enforcement.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information on Morin’s homicide or the suspect in the Los Angeles video to call 412-836-5430 or email RMTips@harfordsheriff.org. More than 300 tips have been received, officials in Harford County said. Tips can be submitted anonymously at metrocrimestoppers.org or by calling 1-866-7-LOCKUP, officials said.

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