Family of murdered Rachel Morin pleads in open letter for ‘time and space’ to mourn her after she was found naked with her ‘face smashed’ on Maryland’s Ma & Pa trail
The mother of Rachel Morin, the 37-year-old woman found dead on a Maryland hiking trail last weekend, is asking for “time and space” to mourn after her gruesome murder.
Morin, a mother of five, appears to have been beaten to death and left naked by her killer, DailyMail.com learned earlier Thursday.
Her lifeless body was discovered in a tunnel drain on the scenic Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland after she was reported missing Saturday night.
In an open letter shared on Facebook by her daughter Rebekah, Patricia Morin spoke about how her family is trying to cope with her daughter’s tragic death.
‘We are sad. As a family, we need time and space to grieve. We have not forgotten our community,” she wrote.
The mother of Rachel Morin, the 37-year-old woman found dead on a Maryland hiking trail last weekend, is asking for ‘time and space’ to mourn after her gruesome murder
“We just need time… I need time. It’s only been 4 days since we received the terrible news. I ask you as mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters to have compassion for us and allow us to do so. ‘
Morin began the letter with thanking people for the “outpouring of love and support” and “the global community grieving with me for my young daughter.”
She also noted that the family is planning a “celebration of life” service and a 5K walk/run in her honor, as Rachel was an “enthusiastic runner.”
The grieving mother ended the letter with a simple thank you and signed it “Rachel’s mother.”
Mother-of-five Morin disappeared around 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, leaving her home to go for a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland.
It’s unclear who she was walking with, but her new boyfriend Richard Tobin, 27, has reported her missing.
The couple only made their relationship official on social media four days earlier.
The coroner has not yet revealed how Morin died, but a murder investigation has been launched. Her family says she didn’t go “voluntarily” and that her death was “not accidental.”
Mother-of-five Morin (pictured here with brother Josiah) disappeared around 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, as she left her home to go for a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland
Local man Michael Gabriszeski had joined the search for the missing mother along with his stepdaughter Cecilia – who was friends with Morin – and her boyfriend Evan, when he claimed to have found her remains on Sunday.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Gabriszeski, a Native American tracker, said the pair decided to check two drainage tunnels on the Hartford County trail after noticing “breakdowns” on the ground close to the track where the fitness fanatic was taking a run that evening.
“Cecilia was the first person to see the body,” he claimed. “She hyperventilated very, very much. And then the police told her to sit down.
“When she sat down, she realized she was in a large pool of blood.”
“She was lying on her back, completely naked, and she had a brutal head trauma… it looked like her head had been smashed in with a rock.
“There was a 15 to 20 foot trail of blood. So it looked like she had been beaten and dragged into that position.”
“It looked like (the killer) was trying to erase her identity,” the 48-year-old added.
“The right side of her face was gone.”
The coroner has not yet revealed how Morin died, but a murder investigation has been launched. Her family says she didn’t go “voluntarily” and that her death was “not accidental.”
Michael Gabriszeski, along with his stepdaughter and her boyfriend, had joined the search for missing mother Rachel Morin, 37, at the Ma & Pa trail in Bel Air, Maryland when the trio found her remains on Sunday, he claims
Grabiszeski said he felt compelled to check out the drainage tunnels on the trail after noticing “disturbances” on the ground near the trail where Morin had gone hiking.
Morin was last seen leaving her home around 6 p.m. on Saturday to go for a walk on the Ma and Pa Trail
The witness described seeing “a 15 to 20 foot trail of blood” near Morin’s body and said it looked like her “head had been smashed in with a rock”
No suspects have yet been arrested for Morin’s murder, but a murder investigation is ongoing
During the investigation, local residents were seen participating in a community walk along the Ma and Pa Trail, Bel Air, on Tuesday
A separate source close to the family had previously told DailyMail.com that the young mother suffered severe head trauma.
“The injuries were so horrific that there won’t be an open coffin (at her funeral),” the source said.
A spokeswoman for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the nature of how Morin was killed.
Meanwhile, police have reached out to obtain footage of people out and about over the weekend.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement yesterday: “Detectives are asking for your help.
“If you were on the Ma & Pa Trail on Saturday, or near the trail or trailheads and took photos or videos, we ask that you please share them with researchers.
“There may be something useful in one of your photos that can give us another piece of the puzzle.
As of this morning, we have already received nearly 90 tips from concerned members of the community regarding the murder of Rachel Morin.
“Thanks for all the support you’ve given.”
On Monday, it was formally confirmed that the body found was Rachel.
Officials at the Harford County Sheriff’s Office in Bel Air, about 43 miles north of Baltimore, said they still have no leads on possible suspects.
Morin’s new boyfriend, who has a criminal past, took to social media on Sunday to insist he had nothing to do with her murder
Rachel Morin and Richard Tobin started dating “a few weeks ago.” She was found murdered on a hiking trail on Sunday. The pair are shown on an earlier walk together
Local police declined to comment on how Morin died or what kind of injuries she sustained.
Her family says she didn’t go “voluntarily” and that her death was “not accidental.”
It comes after her new boyfriend took to social media on Sunday to insist he had nothing to do with her murder despite his criminal past.
The couple had only made their relationship official on social media four days earlier.
He said, “I love Rachel. I would never hurt her, let the family and I grieve. Yes, I have a past but I’ve also been clean for 15 months and have changed as a person. Please.’
Tobin has been arrested 14 times since 2014 on various charges, including drug trafficking, assault, disorderly conduct, and refusal of arrest.
His lengthy criminal record includes two arrests for second-degree assault, violating restraining orders, drug possession and willful destruction of property.
Tobin also has a number of traffic violations, felony misdemeanor, resisting arrest and disorderly drunkenness and conduct marks on his criminal record, documents show.