Arrest made in Rachel Morin murder case

An arrest has been made in the murder of Rachel Morin, according to Maryland authorities.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday that Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a citizen of El Salvador, was apprehended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the crime late Friday night.

The 37-year-old mother of five was last seen on Aug. 5 when she left for a walk on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, at 6 p.m. Her boyfriend reported her missing later that night when she never returned home, and her body was found near the trail less than 24 hours later.

Her death was later determined to be a homicide.

Eleven days later, the sheriff’s office said that a DNA sample found at the crime scene was a match to a man wanted for a home invasion and an assault of a 9-year-old girl in Los Angeles. Authorities released surveillance video of the unknown male, but they weren’t able to identify him.

Harford County Sheriff’s Office

It wasn’t until February 2024 that the sheriff’s office released a sketch of the man suspected in the case, which resembles Hernandez.

Harford Co. Sheriff

Not only was he a fugitive in Maryland, the 23-year-old was also on an ICE hold, according to online records.

According to officials, Martinez came to the United States illegally in February 2023 after being suspected of another murder in El Salvador.

He is charged with first-degree rape and murder and is currently being held without bond. The sheriff said Hernandez will be extradited back to Maryland in the coming days, but no date was confirmed.

This story was originally published by Dominick Philippe-Auguste at Scripps News Baltimore.