1 year ago, Rachel Morin was murdered off Maryland trail. Here's a look at the high-profile case.
BALTIMORE -- A year ago, Rachel Morin left home for a run on the popular Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County and didn't return.
The 37-year-old Maryland mother of five was reported missing on August 5, 2023, and her body was found the following day off the trail, sending shockwaves through the county.
Victor Martinez Hernandez, an El Salvador native, was arrested in June after a 10-month nationwide manhunt. He was extradited to Maryland where he has been charged with first-degree murder and rape.
Law enforcement believed Martinez Hernandez hid in a drainage culvert and attacked Morin while she was walking.
Harford sheriff speaks about year-long investigation
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler spoke with WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren looking back at the investigation that started a year ago.
"There were even times when even I questioned where was this thing going to end up, would it become a cold case? I prayed not. Our detectives never lost faith and I think our community never lost faith," Gahler said.
Morin was found raped and murdered along the trail and DNA linked the suspect to the murder.
"Just because this one murderer has been captured, it doesn't mean that we're safe in any of our daily lives anywhere in this country, and I think Rachel's case was the epitome of that," Gahler said. "Harford County is so safe, Bel Air is even safer and that trail even safer and yet this is where we stand a year after."
A year since the murder
Morin's family, friends and those who wanted to pay tribute came together for an "Honor and Remembrance Walk" near the spot where the mother of five was found dead on August 6, 2023.
Patty Morin placed pictures of her daughter along her final path and gave remarks before the group walked the trail.
She spoke to WJZ's Jessica Albert in an emotional interview following the arrest.
"It takes and shatters all the things you had put up to kind of buffer yourself from the pain and now you have to face the reality that she really is gone, and that we've lost her," Patty Morin said through tears on June 19.
Here's a look back at the year-long case:
Reported missing
Rachel Morin went to the Ma & Pa Trail around 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 5, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. She was reported missing around 11:20 p.m. when she didn't return home.
Morin's body located
On Sunday, August 6, Morin's car was found at the trailhead on Williams Street in Bel Air. Then, around 1 p.m., a volunteer searching for Morin found her body about 70 to 80 feet of fthe trail.
Her death was being investigated as a homicide.
Searching for tips
Investigators said they received hundreds of tips within the first week of Morin's murder/. Who knew at that time the search for the suspected killer would be nationwide?
Harford County deputies made a public call asking people to send photos or videos that were taken on or near the trail.
Promise to add high-tech security cameras
Harford County's executive promised to add highly advanced cameras to the Ma & Pa Trail. Bob Cassilly told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren they were working with experts who have installed cameras at park facilities in other Maryland counties.
"It's got to be done right," Cassilly said. "I could throw up some temporary cameras to give a feel-good. This isn't about just making people feel good. This is about providing real security."
The installation of the cameras began in late November 2023.
Video of suspect released
The Harford County Sheriff's Office released a video of a possible suspect after investigators said DNA tied Morin's suspected killer to a home invasion and assault on a young girl on March 26, 2023, in Los Angeles, California.
Police said they took DNA from the crime scene on the trail, put it into a national database and they got a hit: DNA recovered from the March home invasion in Los Angeles. The video shows the suspect leaving that home after the crime.
Finding suspect traits
To help aid in the investigation, the Morin family worked with criminal profiler, Pat Brown, to determine potential suspect traits.
The potential suspect traits were listed on new flyers in both English and Spanish, which were posted and handed out by volunteers Tuesday evening near the Ma and Pa Trail in target areas.
Thousands of those flyers went to Los Angeles where the suspect was linked to an assault against a young girl in a home invasion.
Garnering national attention
Morin's murder made national headlines.
The hosts of a true crime podcast brought attention to the case and added to the reward. The hosts of the Mile Higher podcast added an extra $5,000 to the reward leading to the arrest of Morin's killer, bringing the reward to $35,000.
Sketch of the suspect
The Harford County Sheriff's Office released a suspect sketch.
"It's been shown to the people out there in Los Angeles who were at that crime scene, and they all believe it fairly and more accurately represents the suspect," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler.
Undocumented migrant arrested
An undocumented migrant was arrested for the high-profile murder of Rachel Morin.
Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old from El Salvador, was arrested on June 14 at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.
The sheriff said a lead involving genetic genealogy led them to their suspect in Oklahoma. The case has become a topic of debate in the presidential race.
Officers said when they approached Hernandez at the bar, he lied about who he was and his alleged crimes.
"(I feel a) continued sense of relief that this monster poses no threat to our Harford County community or any community in the world," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said.
What we know about the suspect
Martinez Hernandez had crossed the border into the U.S. in February 2023 after an arrest warrant was issued for the murder of a young woman in El Salvador in January 2023, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said.
Then, in March of 2023, investigators say he assaulted a 9-year-old girl and her mother at a home in Los Angeles.
Border Patrol apprehended Martinez Hernandez on three occasions in 2023 when the Title 42 public health order was in effect, which allowed the government to remove people from the country due to COVID-19.
Martinez Hernandez was vetted and because no criminal history was found, he was expelled.
DHS says Title 42 encouraged deportations.
"He wanted to come to our country," Gahler said. "He did these horrific things in our country. I hope that he spends the rest of his days here in the state of Maryland."
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Martinez Hernandez was apprehended by the border patrol for unlawfully entering the United States on Jan. 19, 2023, near Santa Teresa, New Mexico; Jan. 31, 2023, in El Paso, Texas; and Feb. 6, 2023, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
ICE said Martinez Hernandez unlawfully entered the U.S. on February 13, 2023, near El Paso, Texas, without being inspected, admitted, or paroled by a U.S. immigration officer
The suspect has connections in the Washington, D.C. area, in both Virginia and Prince George's County, Maryland, and has ties to known gangs, Gahler said.
"Victor Hernandez did not come here to make a better life for himself or his family," Gahler said. "He came here to escape the crime he committed in El Salvador. He came here and murdered Rachel and, God willing, no one else."
Lead disclosed on Morin's birthday
Morin's murder suspect was arrested just weeks after what would have been Morin's 38th birthday.
"On May 20, on what should've been Rachel's 38 birthday, and in a poetic coincidence or perhaps Rachel's own divine assistance, our investigators uncovered a lead that led us to this day," Gahler said.
Morin's mother speaks with WJZ
Patty Morin, relieved that her daughter's accused killer was captured, sat down with WJZ's Jessica Albert for an exclusive one-on-one interview.
"I was just so very grateful that they didn't give up," Patty Morin said. "That she wasn't the folder on the desk that I was afraid might happen."
Patty Morin said the 10-month-long nightmare has ended for her family, but now she has new grief.
"It takes and shatters," Patty Morin said. "All the things that you had put up to, kind of buffer yourself from the pain, and now you have to face the reality that she really is gone. We've lost her, and so like I said, it was just it was a mix of emotions, and I'm still working through."
Extradited to Maryland
Martinez Hernandez was extradited to Maryland on June 18.
His extradition began with officers in Oklahoma loading him into a plane in shackles and handcuffs. He then took the 1,200-mile flight to Maryland, landing at Martin State Airport around 12:30 p.m.
He was then driven by deputies to the Harford County Detention Center.
"Our state does not have the death penalty but I certainly hope that the court will process, the end result of that is that he is found guilty and that he's given the sentence of life without the possibility parole," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said.
Former President Trump calls Morin's mother
Former President Donald Trump called Rachel Morin's mother to express his condolences.
He's taken interest in this case because it has ramped up discussions about immigration in the U.S. recently.
With Martinez Hernandez back in Maryland, Morin's family is looking forward to getting justice for her murder.
Hiding out in Maryland
Martinez Hernandez was staying with family members in Maryland during the nationwide manhunt, according to court documents obtained by WJZ.
Martinez Hernandez's family members told detectives he had been staying with them from December 2023 until May 2024.
Investigators have not said how long they believe Martinez Hernandez had been in Maryland.
DNA match
According to documents, Martinez Hernandez left his family's home in early May and didn't return, only leaving behind two bags of clothing and a pair of shoes.
DNA swabs were recovered from the items that Martinez Hernandez left behind and were processed at the Maryland State Police Forensics lab, documents show, and they matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene.
Indicted by grand jury
Martinez Hernandez was indicted by a grand jury in the Harford County Circuit Court on July 2, according to the attorney representing the Morin family.
Pushing for maximum sentence
Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey is pushing for the maximum sentence if Martinez Hernandez is convicted, according to a court filing.
The maximum penalty is life without the possibility of parole.
"Since Maryland doesn't have the death penalty anymore, life without parole is the most serious consequence you can face in the criminal justice system," Morin Family Attorney Randolph Rice said.
A check of court records online shows that Martinez Hernandez is not due back in court until October 4.
Morin's brother addresses RNC
Michael Morin, the brother of Rachel Morin, spoke on July 17 at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
"Where we pushed our babies in strollers, where we walked together as a family, where my wife and I got married, near what would later become the spot where my sister's body was found," said Michael Morin, Rachel Morin's brother.
Michael Morin blamed President Biden's immigration policies for his sister's murder.
He told the RNC crowd that Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, would bring real leadership in the White House, secure the border and prevent a death like his sister's from happening elsewhere.
"This was described as among the most brutal and violent offenses that had ever occurred in Harford County, Maryland, history," Michael Morin said.
In-depth look at Ma & Pa Trail security cameras
More than 100 cameras were installed on 26 poles along Harford County's Ma & Pa Trail in the months after Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five, was found murdered.
The camera system, considered by the Harford County executive as the most advanced in the state, covers nearly every angle of two miles of the trail.
Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly gave WJZ an inside look at how these cameras are used and how they will prevent further violent crimes.
The cameras use AI to detect potential suspicious activity or incidents on the trail, like if someone is having a medical emergency or is being attacked. When something happens, the system sends county leaders an alert so they can check it out.
