Harford County Sheriff: Suspect in the Rachel Morin murder on path to becoming a serial killer
BALTIMORE -- Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler took to social media on Thursday to urge people to continue sharing video footage of the person suspected of killing Rachel Morin because "he will kill again."
Morin's body was found near the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in August. She was reported missing the night before her car was found at the entrance to the trail on Williams Street in Bel Air.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office was able to link her murder to an assault and home invasion in Los Angeles, California, that took place on March 26.
Gahler said people had questions about the video. Some of them were interested in an arm that appears to close the door of the Los Angeles home that the suspected killer is seen exiting in the video.
"I hear this question numerous times a day, and I can tell you we have identified the person connected to the infamous arm that appears in the surveillance footage from Los Angeles," he said. "And after speaking to that individual, we are confident that they played no role in the commission of any crime."
Investigators have seen an influx in tips over the course of the investigation. To date, they have received "nearly 600 tips so far from community members and some of those from as far away as Australia, England, and Canada," Gahler said.
That's double the number of tips that investigators said they had received just a few weeks ago.
They have circulated flyers in English and Spanish about the homicide investigation, he said.
"With all we do know about these two crimes, the one in Los Angeles and the one here, my concern is that this killer is escalating," he said. "My investigators and I both firmly believe that if we do not apprehend this individual, he will kill again, if he has not done so already."
Gahler said that, if given the chance, Rachel Morin's suspect killer could turn into a serial killer. That's why he must be found as soon as possible, he said.
"Someone out there knows who that suspect is. We need this video in front of that person," Gahler said.