'He will kill again': With Rachel Morin's killer still at large, Maryland officials sound alarm
It's been 37 days since someone killed Rachel Hannah Morin, a Maryland mother of five who vanished at dusk while walking on a trail in the state's small northeast town of Bel Air.
After the 37-year-old woman's death, the Hartford County Sheriff's Office released photos and video of the person suspected in her violent slaying, spawning global headlines and leading to more than 600 tips in the case from as far away as Canada, England, and Australia.
A $10,000 reward leading to the identity and arrest of the person suspected in her slaying is being offered and her case has led local, state and federal law enforcement on a multi-state manhunt for weeks.
On Monday, Morin's killer remained at large.
"We have not apprehended a suspect," sheriff's office spokesperson Cristie Hopkins told USA TODAY.
A victim of 'a violent homicide'
Officials found Morin's body on Aug. 6 near the Ma & Pa Trail and called her a "victim of a violent homicide." Bel Air is a small suburb of Baltimore with a population of just under 11,000 residents, according to the latest U.S. Census.
Morin was reported missing during the late evening hours of Aug. 5 after her boyfriend told police she did not return from a walk. She was last seen on the trail around 6 p.m. and her vehicle was found near the trail, the sheriff’s office reported.
“I think everybody, myself included, in the family had hoped that somebody would be apprehended by now,” the father of Morin's oldest child, Matthew McMahon, told local TV station WBFF.
Most recently, McMahon confirmed to the outlet Morin's family enlisted a criminal profiler with three decades of experience in hopes of finding the killer.
“Bel Air is 40 miles north of Baltimore,” Pat Brown, who was hired, told the station. “You don't just roll in there on a bus for no reason. He has to know somebody that he came to stay with in Bel Air.”
Countless hours and interviews
In an update provided via video on the sheriff's Facebook page last week, Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said detectives have "collected and watched hours of video footage from in and around the trail where she disappeared."
"Our detectives have traveled across the country and have logged countless hours of interviews... canvassed areas related to Rachel and related to her death multiple times searching for additional witness and evidence," Gahler said.
Officials have not released Morin's official cause of death but Gahler said detectives continue to review the results of her autopsy in hopes of finding answers.
Who was Rachel Morin?
According to her obituary, Morin grew up in New Hampshire and was "a devoted mother" to five children.
"Rachel was passionate about her children and family more than anything, loved fashion, and was a fitness enthusiast, often participating in 5K marathons and lifting weights," the obituary reads.
Morin also "enjoyed traveling...was the life of the party and had a special knack for making people laugh," the notice reads.
A break in the case
The biggest break in the case came last month, when Sheriff's Col. William Davis announced DNA from the person who they believe killed Morin matched the DNA of a man who assaulted a girl in Southern California during a home invasion in the spring.
The Los Angeles Police Department told USA TODAY the attack took place during the early morning hours of March 26
LAPD officials would not comment further about the incident but during press conference, last month, Davis shared video of the person investigators believe to be responsible for the home invasion. The clip from a security cam positioned outside the California home showed a shirtless man exiting a house with his face covered.
"This was the first time we got a glimpse of the person responsible for Rachel's death," Gahler said.
Police described her killer as a 5-foot, 9-inch tall man in his mid 20s to 30s who weighs about 160 pounds and has dark hair.
'He will kill again'
Last month the sheriff told reporters the suspect could be a serial killer.
During his most recent update, Gahler emphasized the notion.
"My concern is that this killer is escalating," the sheriff said Thursday. "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. This suspect poses a threat to every community in our country and maybe outside."
With the fall and cold weather approaching, the sheriff said, the community will see a decreased use of the trail, so deputies plan to patrol the trail accordingly and aim to get cameras installed along the trails.
"There is still work to be done," Gahler said. "I have not given up hope."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the sheriff's office.
Contributing: Anthony Robledo.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.