Current:Home > InvestSuspect in Rachel Morin's death on Maryland trail linked to LA assault by DNA, police say-LoTradeCoin
Suspect in Rachel Morin's death on Maryland trail linked to LA assault by DNA, police say
View Date:2024-12-23 20:11:50
The man suspected of killing a Maryland woman on a popular hiking trail this month is the same person who assaulted a young girl in Southern California in the spring, according to DNA results, investigators announced Thursday.
Hartford County (Maryland) Sheriff's Col. William Davis said DNA from the person who likely killed Rachel Morin in a 'violent homicide' matched the DNA of a man who assaulted a young girl in Los Angeles during a March home invasion.
Davis, at a Thursday evening press conference, shared video of the person investigators believe to be responsible for the assault. The brief clip from a security cam positioned outside the Southern California home showed a shirtless man exiting a house with his face not visible.
Davis said investigators believe the suspect is a 5-foot, 9-inch tall man in his mid 20s who weighs about 160 pounds.
"We believe the suspect acted alone," Davis said of Morin's killing.
"I think now it leads us down the path that we believe this was a person that Rachel probably didn't know," Davis said. "Potentially a random act of violence."
Morin killed in 'violent homicide', police say
Officials found Morin's body on Aug. 6 near the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland and said she was a "victim of a violent homicide."
Morin was reported as a missing person on Aug. 5 around 11:20 p.m. when her boyfriend said she did not return from her walk. She was last seen on the trail around 6 p.m. and her vehicle was found near the trail, according to the the sheriff’s office.
Authorities interviewed Morin's boyfriend and other people close to her as part of the investigation, Hartford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said in a video posted to the Sherriff's office Facebook page Aug. 9. He added that investigators working on the case received over 300 tips from the community.
“This was an intentional taking of a person’s life,” Gahler said in the video. "Together we will solve this crime and find the heinous coward who took Rachel Morin from her family and friends."
Davis on Thursday said investigators have no clue where the suspect can be or if he's even in the state of Maryland. He encouraged residents to be alert when walking on trails and to avoid walking alone.
Authorities are hoping by releasing photos and the video of the suspect the public can help identify the suspect. Anyone with information relating to the investigation is encouraged to call (410) 836-7788 or email [email protected].
Contributing: Francisco Guzman
'Massacre':Police investigate quadruple homicide involving 3 children in Oklahoma City
Christopher Miller:Wisconsin man missing 9 months since attempted traffic stop found dead in abandoned home
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Mason Bates’ Met-bound opera ‘Kavalier & Clay’ based on Michael Chabon novel premieres in Indiana
- Ireland is paying up to $92,000 to people who buy homes on remote islands. Here's how it works.
- Man arrested after allegedly throwing phone at Bebe Rexha during concert
- Fuzzy Math: How Do You Calculate Emissions From a Storage Tank When The Numbers Don’t Add Up?
- Horoscopes Today, November 9, 2024
- MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
- Why Are Hurricanes Like Dorian Stalling, and Is Global Warming Involved?
- Sun's out, ticks out. Lyme disease-carrying bloodsucker season is getting longer
- Younghoo Koo takes blame for Falcons loss to Saints: 'This game is fully on me'
- A new flu is spilling over from cows to people in the U.S. How worried should we be?
Ranking
- Massive dust storm reduces visibility, causes vehicle pileup on central California highway
- After failing to land Lionel Messi, Al Hilal makes record bid for Kylian Mbappe
- Lions hopeful C.J. Gardner-Johnson avoided serious knee injury during training camp
- Transcript: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Face the Nation, June 18, 2023
- California researchers discover mysterious, gelatinous new sea slug
- There's a second outbreak of Marburg virus in Africa. Climate change could be a factor
- EPA’s ‘Secret Science’ Rule Meets with an Outpouring of Protest on Last Day for Public Comment
- ICN’s ‘Harvesting Peril’ Wins Prestigious Oakes Award for Environmental Journalism
Recommendation
-
Mega Millions winning numbers for November 8 drawing: Jackpot rises to $361 million
-
With Greenland’s Extreme Melting, a New Risk Grows: Ice Slabs That Worsen Runoff
-
Don’t Miss This $65 Deal on $142 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Skincare Products
-
Trump Weakens Endangered Species Protections, Making It Harder to Consider Effects of Climate Change
-
Full House's John Stamos Shares Message to Costar Dave Coulier Amid Cancer Battle
-
ICN’s ‘Harvesting Peril’ Wins Prestigious Oakes Award for Environmental Journalism
-
With Greenland’s Extreme Melting, a New Risk Grows: Ice Slabs That Worsen Runoff
-
Sub still missing as Titanic wreckage site becomes focus of frantic search and rescue operation