Signs Announcing Arrest In Rachel Morin Case Posted At Ma And Pa Trail: HCSO

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Signs announcing that an arrest has been made in the Rachel Morin homicide investigation have been posted at the Ma and Pa Trail head and at each Harford County Sheriff's Office facility.

Officials announced Saturday that a suspect had been arrested late Friday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"The sheriff and the men and women of the HCSO would also like to thank the community for its unwavering support over these past 10 months. It is thanks to everyone involved in this case, from our allied agencies to the people who sent in tips, that we were able to find our suspect and bring a sense of peace to our community," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook.

Related:

Clue Uncovered On Rachel Morin's Birthday Led To Suspect, Arrest

Murder Charge Filed In MD Mom Rachel Morin's Death

Morin, 37, whose body was found along the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air in 2023, was a mother of five. She frequently jogged the trail near where she was found raped and beaten to death. The suspect in her death, identified by police as Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, of El Salvador, has been charged with first-degree rape and first-degree murder in Morin's death. He has also been linked by DNA to a home invasion and sexual assault in southern California.

On what would have been Rachel Morin's 38th birthday, May 20 — in what Gahler called "poetic justice" or Morin's own "divine intervention" — investigators uncovered a lead that led to the suspect's arrest. During the past two weeks, investigators tracked the suspect from Prince George's County, Maryland, to Oklahoma, where late Friday night, he was arrested for trespassing at a business in Tulsa.

"Rachel's murderer is no longer a free man. Hopefully, he will never have the opportunity to walk free again. The lead we received related to DNA evidence that allowed investigators to put a name to the image of the suspect in the video from the Los Angeles attack that was released after Rachel's death. We knew what he looked like, but didn't know who he was. With that new DNA evidence, we then knew who he was, but not where he was at," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Related:

• Rachel Morin: Former Partner Scours Woods For Clues, Hunts For Killer In Bel Air
• MD Mom's Homicide: Daughter Confident Harford Detectives Will Find Killer
• Rachel Morin's Family Releases Video Pleading For Help In Solving Her Homicide
• Hunt Continues For Rachel Morin Murder Suspect, Labeled Serial Killer
• Rachel Morin Case: 'We Haven't Given Up Hope' Sheriff Says Of Manhunt
• Rachel Morin Slaying: Suspect Search Turns To Los Angeles
• Rachel Morin Homicide Suspect Hunt Continues In 2024
• Rachel Morin Headstone Unveiled By Family As Hunt For Suspect Goes On
• Rachel Morin Family Asks For Worldwide Prayers For Justice
• Digital Ad Campaign Launched To Help Find Rachel Morin's Killer
• Profiler Helping With Rachel Morin Case, No Suspect Arrested Yet
• Rachel Morin's Family Mourns Loss Of 'Bright, Beautiful Spark'
• Rachel Morin Killer Might Strike Again, $10K Reward Offered: Sheriff
• Rachel Morin Reward Fund Rises As Homicide Suspect Remains At Large
• Suspect Sketch, New Details Released In Rachel Morin Homicide
• Women Attacked On Park Trails In Howard, Frederick Counties: Police
• 5 Potential Witnesses Contacted In Mom Rachel Morin's Death: Sheriff
• Photos, Videos Sought From Site Where Rachel Morin's Body Was Found