Police arrest illegal Salvadoran immigrant for murder of Rachel Morin in Harford, Maryland

Víctor Antonio Martínez Hernández, a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant, was arrested Friday in connection to the death of Rachel Morin, a mother of five who was murdered last year on a hiking trail in Harford County, Maryland.

Sheriff Jeff Gahler reported that Martínez Hernández was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gahler added that the Salvadoran crossed the border illegally in February 2023. "It is my understanding that this suspect, this monster, fled to the United States illegally after the murder of a young woman in El Salvador a month earlier," Gahler said.

In March 2023, he also "brutally" attacked a 9-year-old girl and her mother in Los Angeles. This incident enabled authorities to link his DNA to the Morin case and provided footage of Martínez Hernández leaving the home where the attack occurred:

Martínez Hernández will be extradited to Maryland, according to Gahler. There he will face charges of murder and rape.

The body of Morin, 37, was found in August of last year on one of the trails on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail greenway. Her boyfriend had reported her missing a day before.

"I just wanna take this time to thank all the law enforcement for all their hard work," Patricia Morin, the victim's mother, said at a news conference. She also stated that the diligence of the investigators kept her hopeful. "At one point, when things seemed really bleak and hopeless, the lead detective said to me: patience will win in the end." She said thanks to that patience and hard work, they were able to make an arrest.