Rachel Morin case update: Bel Air mother-of-five’s killer remains at large as Maryland police step up patrols

Authorities have warned hikers that hiking trails around Bel Air may not be safe.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley reports:

Morin’s family invited members of the community to meet at 11 am on 19 August at the William Street entrance of the Ma and Pa trail.

Attendees will then begin walking to the end of the first half of the trail and back.

“We are hoping to have a “Trail of Flowers and Light” to line both sides of the trail for our walk on the Ma & Pa Trail,” Morin’s sister Rebekah Morin wrote on Facebook. “If you are able to, we ask that you bring flowers and a battery operated candle to lay on either side of the trail somewhere as we walk Rachel’s last steps.”

The 6.25 mile (10km) trail gets its name from the former Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad corridor that ran through the town of Bel Air in Harford County.

The track was dismantled in the 1950s, and later turned into a heritage trail along the railroad’s former route.

It consists of a 3.3mile section through Bel Air and a 1.7mile segment in neighbouring Forest Hill.

According to Alltrails.com, the trail is moderately challenging and takes around 2 hours and 25 minutes to complete.

In the wake of Ms Morin’s death, authorities have warned hikers to take particular care and be aware of their surroundings.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told The Independent on Tuesday that the department had increased patrol on the Ma & Pa Trail area to reassure the community in the aftermath of Morin’s tragic death, but noted that there is no perceived threat at this time.

Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler reiterated that the public should continue sending in tips even if the details may seem insignificant.

“That might be the key piece of evidence of information we are looking for,” the sheriff said.

“Some of your tips have been promising and tremendous in advancing the investigation and bringing us closer to getting the answers that we need, the answers that Rachel’s family needs, and the answers that our community needs.”

The mother of Rachel Morin has broken her silence with a plea for compassion as the family takes time to grieve the “sudden and tragic” loss of the 37-year-old whose body was found after she vanished while going for a jog on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air.

Ms Morin’s sister Rebekah, herself a mother of seven children, revealed on a GoFundMe page that the family had been grieving the death of their niece Lily Beth to sudden infant death syndrome just a week earlier.

“It is with devastating sadness and a broken heart that our family has been hit with yet another heartbreak.

“My sister, Rachel Morin went missing on Saturday August 5 2023 around 6pm. In less then 24 hours her body was found by local law enforcement. It has only been a week since my niece Lily Beth passed away from SIDS, and I find that I have to make yet another gofundme to help my mother, Patty Morin with funeral costs.”

Rebekah confirmed that her sister did not have life insurance, and appealed for financial assistance to provide for her five surviving children.