Authorities investigating the death of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five who went missing while jogging on a popular trail more than a week ago, announced the description of a suspect during a press briefing Thursday who is tied to a different attack earlier this year.
Col. William Davis with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said DNA found at the location of Morin’s death was analyzed by state police and matched with DNA found at the scene of a home invasion in Los Angeles where a young girl was violently attacked in March.
TRUMP’S ‘MOST DANGEROUS CASE IN GEORGIA COULD ALSO BE THE LONGEST DELAYED
“Unfortunately, that suspect has not been positively identified, but he did leave behind his DNA,” Davis said. “Based on the DNA evidence, we consider the individual in the video we received from the Los Angeles Police Department to be the person that murdered Rachel Morin on Aug. 5.”
The suspect has been described as a Hispanic male, believed to be 5’9” and roughly 160 pounds. The suspect is also believed to be in his early to mid-twenties, but no name has been released, and it is not clear whether the suspect is still in the Maryland area.
“This incident has certainly struck fear into our community, and we have deployed a tremendous amount of resources out onto that trail, and we have deputies out there pretty much 24/7 on bicycle, on foot, on four wheels and four-seater, gator-type vehicles, so we can get around on the trail quickly,” Davis said. “We can’t say there is not a threat out there right now.”
Authorities said last week they had spoken to five people who were on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air on Aug. 5, the same day Morin left for a jog but never returned.
Police had not named any suspects before Thursday’s announcement but did say they’d spoken to Morin’s boyfriend, Richard Tobin, 27, about his whereabouts and said he provided a DNA sample. Tobin has publicly denied involvement in Morin’s death.
“I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve,” he posted on social media. “Yes, I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please.”
Morin, a fitness enthusiast, had left for a run around 6 p.m. Tobin reported her missing five hours later.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Police found Morin’s abandoned car near the start of the trail in Bel Air. The area is behind several businesses, including a brewery, a Domino’s, and a condominium complex. It leads into a wooded area and through a neighborhood before dropping into another wooded area underneath a state highway. One day after Morin went missing near the area, her body was found, and authorities announced there was “no doubt” her death had been a homicide.
The sheriff’s office said it does not know whether the suspect is from Maryland or California or where he could be. But if anyone has any information on the suspect or sees anything suspicious in the area, authorities encourage them to call the sheriff’s tip line at 412-836-5430 or email [email protected].
