DNA evidence from Los Angeles home invasion helps investigators find Maryland murder suspect

Authorities in Maryland tracked down a suspect connected to the 2023 killing of a mother of five with the help of DNA evidence from a home invasion in Los Angeles.

According to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Rachel Morin, 37, was found dead one day after going missing on a hiking trail on August 6 of last year. Officials said Morin was attacked and pulled off the trail before being killed.

The case remained unsolved for several months as the suspect escaped the scene, with only sketches released depicting his face.

That all changed on Friday, however, when a man was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma on suspicion of murder and rape in connection to Morin’s death.

The turning point in the case, authorities said, was DNA evidence from a March 2023 home invasion in Los Angeles. The alleged killer, 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, is also suspected of attacking a 9-year-old girl and her mother in the L.A. case.

Authorities say Martinez-Hernandez entered the United States illegally in February 2023 from El Salvador. He was identified through the DNA evidence in May, though it took more time to find his location before he was found in Tulsa.

There was no word on when he’ll be extradited to Maryland for a potential criminal trial. No motive is currently known, authorities said.