x_files
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The visuals do not make much sense.
Found Deceased MD - Rachel Morin, 37, left for walk on Ma & Pa Trail 6pm, car found at Williams St entrance, Bel Air, 5 Aug 2023 #2
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The visuals do not make much sense.
Jurisprudence
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To me he didn't look to have an ounce of fat on him. A gym rat, I think very possible. I also agree with @otto and @PommyMommy that it is very possible he first saw RM at the gym, maybe even that very day. Possible it could have been the tanning salon too. IIRC I think she went to both that day and if it was her routine to do so, he could have been watching her for awhile.
MOO
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Three distinctive physical characteristics noted, his back and spine, bowed legs along with his ear. I think he's going to be recognized, especially if his hair is the same. I'm hopeful for both girls and his possible other victims!The connection made the Los Angeles Times:
South L.A. prowler tied by DNA to slaying of mother of five in Maryland
A South L.A. burglar who was caught on a home security video has been tied by DNA to the slaying of a mother of five in Maryland.www.latimes.com
Jurisprudence
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I think physical labor gets you the muscle but it doesn't get you the tone or definition I saw without working distinct areas. I think the only reason this matters is so people who frequent gyms in this area of LA and in MD start thinking about whether they recognize him from the gym.
Nothing is too small imo
x_files
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If they have his DNA they can find his family.
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I only saw two burglaries for the date mentioned in the article in the 77th district, but perhaps you may see something I didn't. Not sure if those two areas have their own local news sources. See: CrimeMapping.com - Helping You Build a Safer Community
I was curious about the general location of the crime in LA because the 77th appears to have a significant amount of gang activity, and I wondered if there were any particular gangs active in the area of the LA crime, that were also active in Maryland. See: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2004/RAND_WR128.pdf
JMO
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On March 3rd they posted about Ruthey Smith. She had been missing for a year at that time according to the post. Ruthey Smith: A family’s struggle to find a young mother
Nothing about the home invasion on that page (I only viewed what was available thru your link, no sign in. Not sure if this matters) and nothing on their website Newsroom - LAPD Online
Unfortunately they probably get way too many calls to list everything but you would hope that since they had a picture, they would have posted it!
jmo
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Allabouttrial
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A day late..
TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE
17TH AUGUST
COLONEL - Last night we received critical pieces of information and our detectives have been working throughout the night and today, running down our new leads. Once the new evidence came to light, Sheriff (?), was adamant that we needed to inform our community as soon as possible, and that's why we're here tonight.
As you know, since Saturday, August 5th., 12 days ago, the Harford County Sheriff's Office has been working around the clock, to get justice for Rachel Morin and hopefully bring peace to her family. Since that first day, over 300 community tips have flooded our inboxes and emails. Her death has grabbed local, state, national and international headlines, everyone with the same goal, find the killer and bring justice to Rachel.
DNA evidence is part of nearly every modern day investigation, and in Rachel's case, DNA evidence was collected by our Forensic Services Unit. That DNA was analysed by the Maryland State Police and it was ran through the National CODIS system.
This DNA evidence has come back as a match, tied to a home invasion and an assault of a young girl in Los Angeles, this past March. Unfortunately, that suspect has not been positively identified, but he did leave behind his DNA. Based on the DNA evidence, we consider the individual in the video we obtained from the Los Angeles Police Department, and that we are about to show you on our TV screens, to be the person that murdered Rachel Morin on August 5th. So we're now going to show the video. Just so everyone's aware, this video, after this press conference, will be posted on our social media.
Based on our analysis of this video and witness observations, we believe the suspect to be approximately 5ft 9, 160lbs. and of hispanic descent. If you have any information about this suspect, we are asking you to please call our detectives at our tip line and the tip line number is 410-836-7788, and we've also established a dedicated tip email address and that email address is www.rmtips@Harfordsheriff.org
We want to make it clear that we believe the suspect acted alone and he doesn't represent the entire Hispanic community of Harford County, who we are now partnering with to identify this suspect. I know I can speak for the sheriff when I say - we are immensely proud of this community. Our community will not be defined by this tragedy. Our community is one that will work together to get the job done and bring this suspect to justice. In the meantime, in the light of this new evidence, I urge our citizens to use caution while walking on our trails and throughout our community. Be alert, walk with a friend, don't allow yourself to be distracted by your cell phone or headphones. And finally, if you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable, or that you think is suspicious, act on those instincts and call 911. And lastly, we will continue our increased presence on the Ma & Pa Trail.
REPORTER - Do you have any other details on what happened in Los Angeles, exactly where or, you know, anything about what this person did there?
COLONEL - So, when it comes to the details about Los Angeles that'sm information that the LAPD has, and we're just going to refer people to the LAPD to get those details. Only thing I can tell you, it was an attack on a young girl.
REPORTER - Any word about a possible motive, like was Rachel missing any money or anything like that?
COLONEL - So, we are not going to talk about the crime scene at this time, because as I've said in previous interviews, we don't want to talk about the crime scene or what happened at the crime scene, because once we catch this person, we want to make sure we got the right person and the only people that know what happened at that crime scene, when we catch the person, is us and that suspect, so we're not giving any details about that.
REPORTER - Again, how did you come across... what led you to this particular suspect, this person?
COLONEL - So, we collected DNA from our crime scene, the Maryland State Police analysed that DNA for us, ran it through the National CODIS system, and that came back as a match to the crime that occurred in Los Angeles, where they had recovered DNA from this person that you saw on the video.
REPORTER - The video that we watched - tell us about... I mean, Los Angeles police released it to you, but what is that, is it at a home, is it at a scene of a crime?
COLONEL - It is at a home and that is the suspect leaving the home, the scene of the crime there.
REPORTER - And that was a home invasion and an assault?
COLONEL - Correct.
REPORTER - Of a little girl, is that what you said?
COLONEL - A young girl and I'm gonna leave it at.. a young girl. I don't want to talk about the family there, but it was a young girl in the house that got assaulted.
REPORTER - What does this do to the case? You have an image there of a person you think is believed to be responsible for this. What does that do for the case?
COLONEL - Well, I think now it kind of leads us down the path that, we believe, this was a person that Rachel probably didn't know. Maybe, you could say, potentially, a random act of violence, and we're hoping that the community now can watch that video, and we've also got still pictures that we're going to be putting out and if somebody can identify him.
REPORTER - Have you narrowed it down to a certain area? Do you could think he could still be, like, somewhere on the Ma & Pa trail...?
COLONEL - We don't have any clue where he could be. We don't even know if he's still in Harford County or in the state of Maryland, because obviously in March, he was in California and then, here in August, he was here in Maryland, so we don't know if he's still here or not.
REPORTER - Do you have any evidence that he was targeting people along that trail, or do you believe this was completely random?
COLONEL - I don't need to be speculating, we do not know.
REPORTER - Do you think he may be armed, have any weapons, anything like that?
COLONEL - Again, speculation.
REPORTER - You describe him as 5ft 9, 160lbs., hispanic male. Do you have an approximate age?
COLONEL - Oh yeah, we believe he is low to mid 20s.
REPORTER - Do you have a date for when the Los Angeles home invasion happened?
COLONEL - I'm just gonna put out that it was in March. LAPD knows that we're doing this press conference, so if you call them they would probably be able to give you that information.
REPORTER - How rare is this to have a DNA hit from the other side of the country? Can you talk about that process and how that works?
COLONEL - This is the first time I've seen a hit in a case that I've been involved in, that was that far away for a DNA hit. So, I wouldn't say that it's unheard of, but certainly unusual.
REPORTER - For the record, you don't have his name or where he lives, or anything like that, if he's from LA or...?
COLONEL - We don't know. We know nothing more about him other than he was in LA and committed that crime in March, and he was here in August and is the murderer.. we believe, to be the murderer of Rachel Morin.
REPORTER - To follow up on that question. You identified him through DNA evidence, through this database, so there's no name associated with that..?
COLONEL - No. There's no name associated because it's just evidence from a crime that was submitted and his DNA... like being arrested and getting DNA, none of that is in the system. However, we are working with.. we have called the FBI, and we are working with some of their DNA experts and their crime lab to try to help us further analyse this DNA.
REPORTER - Without compromising the investigation, can you tell us - Rachel was found and it was determined that it was a homicide?
COLONEL - Correct.
REPORTER - Was there turmoil(?), was she beaten, what was the nature of..?
COLONEL - All we've said so far, and I think we're gonna leave it at, is that it was a violent attack.
REPORTER - Was there a relationship at all between Rachel and the suspect?
COLONEL - Well, again, we just got this information last night, not that we have been able to determine yet. We don't know of any relationship or that they were known to each other, before this incident, so I can't really say, right now, no.
REPORTER - Obviously, this already has the community on the edge. Somebody out here who's just murdered someone. What's your message to the community? Obviously people are scared.
COLONEL - Yeah, we want our community to be vigilant. Obviously, the Ma & Pa Trail has been opened since the day after Rachel was discovered. We have a very large amount of deployment on the Ma & Pa Trail. We're going to continue that deployment, until either this person is caught or we believe he's not in the area anymore, but our plan is to be vigilant for our community. Our community has been just tremendous with the support they give us and trying to figure out what's going on and calling in tips. And we're hoping that maybe even people from LA will see this interview and see that this person committed that crime there, and maybe somebody knows him. We believe, and we hope, that somebody who actually knows this suspect that's in the video, will be able to identify him for us.
REPORTER - Are you revealing where the DNA was found?
COLONEL - No.
REPORTER - Was it under her fingernails or..?
COLONEL - No, we're not going to reveal that.
REPORTER - That video was from Los Angeles, after the assault?
COLONEL - Yes. That is the suspect leaving the assault that occurred in March in Los Angeles.
REPORTER - Doorbell cam., right..?
COLONEL - Errr.. I mean...
REPORTER - Home security cam, right?
COLONEL - Yes.
Any other questions? All right. Well, thank you very much.
TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE
17TH AUGUST
COLONEL - Last night we received critical pieces of information and our detectives have been working throughout the night and today, running down our new leads. Once the new evidence came to light, Sheriff (?), was adamant that we needed to inform our community as soon as possible, and that's why we're here tonight.
As you know, since Saturday, August 5th., 12 days ago, the Harford County Sheriff's Office has been working around the clock, to get justice for Rachel Morin and hopefully bring peace to her family. Since that first day, over 300 community tips have flooded our inboxes and emails. Her death has grabbed local, state, national and international headlines, everyone with the same goal, find the killer and bring justice to Rachel.
DNA evidence is part of nearly every modern day investigation, and in Rachel's case, DNA evidence was collected by our Forensic Services Unit. That DNA was analysed by the Maryland State Police and it was ran through the National CODIS system.
This DNA evidence has come back as a match, tied to a home invasion and an assault of a young girl in Los Angeles, this past March. Unfortunately, that suspect has not been positively identified, but he did leave behind his DNA. Based on the DNA evidence, we consider the individual in the video we obtained from the Los Angeles Police Department, and that we are about to show you on our TV screens, to be the person that murdered Rachel Morin on August 5th. So we're now going to show the video. Just so everyone's aware, this video, after this press conference, will be posted on our social media.
Based on our analysis of this video and witness observations, we believe the suspect to be approximately 5ft 9, 160lbs. and of hispanic descent. If you have any information about this suspect, we are asking you to please call our detectives at our tip line and the tip line number is 410-836-7788, and we've also established a dedicated tip email address and that email address is www.rmtips@Harfordsheriff.org
We want to make it clear that we believe the suspect acted alone and he doesn't represent the entire Hispanic community of Harford County, who we are now partnering with to identify this suspect. I know I can speak for the sheriff when I say - we are immensely proud of this community. Our community will not be defined by this tragedy. Our community is one that will work together to get the job done and bring this suspect to justice. In the meantime, in the light of this new evidence, I urge our citizens to use caution while walking on our trails and throughout our community. Be alert, walk with a friend, don't allow yourself to be distracted by your cell phone or headphones. And finally, if you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable, or that you think is suspicious, act on those instincts and call 911. And lastly, we will continue our increased presence on the Ma & Pa Trail.
REPORTER - Do you have any other details on what happened in Los Angeles, exactly where or, you know, anything about what this person did there?
COLONEL - So, when it comes to the details about Los Angeles that'sm information that the LAPD has, and we're just going to refer people to the LAPD to get those details. Only thing I can tell you, it was an attack on a young girl.
REPORTER - Any word about a possible motive, like was Rachel missing any money or anything like that?
COLONEL - So, we are not going to talk about the crime scene at this time, because as I've said in previous interviews, we don't want to talk about the crime scene or what happened at the crime scene, because once we catch this person, we want to make sure we got the right person and the only people that know what happened at that crime scene, when we catch the person, is us and that suspect, so we're not giving any details about that.
REPORTER - Again, how did you come across... what led you to this particular suspect, this person?
COLONEL - So, we collected DNA from our crime scene, the Maryland State Police analysed that DNA for us, ran it through the National CODIS system, and that came back as a match to the crime that occurred in Los Angeles, where they had recovered DNA from this person that you saw on the video.
REPORTER - The video that we watched - tell us about... I mean, Los Angeles police released it to you, but what is that, is it at a home, is it at a scene of a crime?
COLONEL - It is at a home and that is the suspect leaving the home, the scene of the crime there.
REPORTER - And that was a home invasion and an assault?
COLONEL - Correct.
REPORTER - Of a little girl, is that what you said?
COLONEL - A young girl and I'm gonna leave it at.. a young girl. I don't want to talk about the family there, but it was a young girl in the house that got assaulted.
REPORTER - What does this do to the case? You have an image there of a person you think is believed to be responsible for this. What does that do for the case?
COLONEL - Well, I think now it kind of leads us down the path that, we believe, this was a person that Rachel probably didn't know. Maybe, you could say, potentially, a random act of violence, and we're hoping that the community now can watch that video, and we've also got still pictures that we're going to be putting out and if somebody can identify him.
REPORTER - Have you narrowed it down to a certain area? Do you could think he could still be, like, somewhere on the Ma & Pa trail...?
COLONEL - We don't have any clue where he could be. We don't even know if he's still in Harford County or in the state of Maryland, because obviously in March, he was in California and then, here in August, he was here in Maryland, so we don't know if he's still here or not.
REPORTER - Do you have any evidence that he was targeting people along that trail, or do you believe this was completely random?
COLONEL - I don't need to be speculating, we do not know.
REPORTER - Do you think he may be armed, have any weapons, anything like that?
COLONEL - Again, speculation.
REPORTER - You describe him as 5ft 9, 160lbs., hispanic male. Do you have an approximate age?
COLONEL - Oh yeah, we believe he is low to mid 20s.
REPORTER - Do you have a date for when the Los Angeles home invasion happened?
COLONEL - I'm just gonna put out that it was in March. LAPD knows that we're doing this press conference, so if you call them they would probably be able to give you that information.
REPORTER - How rare is this to have a DNA hit from the other side of the country? Can you talk about that process and how that works?
COLONEL - This is the first time I've seen a hit in a case that I've been involved in, that was that far away for a DNA hit. So, I wouldn't say that it's unheard of, but certainly unusual.
REPORTER - For the record, you don't have his name or where he lives, or anything like that, if he's from LA or...?
COLONEL - We don't know. We know nothing more about him other than he was in LA and committed that crime in March, and he was here in August and is the murderer.. we believe, to be the murderer of Rachel Morin.
REPORTER - To follow up on that question. You identified him through DNA evidence, through this database, so there's no name associated with that..?
COLONEL - No. There's no name associated because it's just evidence from a crime that was submitted and his DNA... like being arrested and getting DNA, none of that is in the system. However, we are working with.. we have called the FBI, and we are working with some of their DNA experts and their crime lab to try to help us further analyse this DNA.
REPORTER - Without compromising the investigation, can you tell us - Rachel was found and it was determined that it was a homicide?
COLONEL - Correct.
REPORTER - Was there turmoil(?), was she beaten, what was the nature of..?
COLONEL - All we've said so far, and I think we're gonna leave it at, is that it was a violent attack.
REPORTER - Was there a relationship at all between Rachel and the suspect?
COLONEL - Well, again, we just got this information last night, not that we have been able to determine yet. We don't know of any relationship or that they were known to each other, before this incident, so I can't really say, right now, no.
REPORTER - Obviously, this already has the community on the edge. Somebody out here who's just murdered someone. What's your message to the community? Obviously people are scared.
COLONEL - Yeah, we want our community to be vigilant. Obviously, the Ma & Pa Trail has been opened since the day after Rachel was discovered. We have a very large amount of deployment on the Ma & Pa Trail. We're going to continue that deployment, until either this person is caught or we believe he's not in the area anymore, but our plan is to be vigilant for our community. Our community has been just tremendous with the support they give us and trying to figure out what's going on and calling in tips. And we're hoping that maybe even people from LA will see this interview and see that this person committed that crime there, and maybe somebody knows him. We believe, and we hope, that somebody who actually knows this suspect that's in the video, will be able to identify him for us.
REPORTER - Are you revealing where the DNA was found?
COLONEL - No.
REPORTER - Was it under her fingernails or..?
COLONEL - No, we're not going to reveal that.
REPORTER - That video was from Los Angeles, after the assault?
COLONEL - Yes. That is the suspect leaving the assault that occurred in March in Los Angeles.
REPORTER - Doorbell cam., right..?
COLONEL - Errr.. I mean...
REPORTER - Home security cam, right?
COLONEL - Yes.
Any other questions? All right. Well, thank you very much.
Jurisprudence
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I don't believe so.
ETA my A was to your first. As to your second, without a warrant or consent, not imo.
But, moo.
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Knox
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LE said they received over 150 tips after they published the video Thursday night. Let's hope one of them pans out quickly. For all we know, they may even have someone under surveillance by now.
Regarding the possibility of suspect being in the military, I thought I remembered my son saying he had a profile for ID purposes (freaked me out at the time as he was in Iraq).
Who has access to military DNA database?
Pursuant to federal law (the DNA Identification Act of 1994), DNA data is confidential. Access is restricted to criminal justice agencies for law enforcement identification purposes. Defendants are also permitted access to the samples and analyses performed in connection with their cases.
CODIS and NDIS Fact Sheet | Federal Bureau of Investigation
A compilation of frequently-asked questions about the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National DNA Index System (NDIS).
www.fbi.gov
vls12345
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I don't know in this case. But I do know some communities and LE are working together to create easier access.
For example, I read about this during the mass shooting in Atlanta in May. Residents can register their security cameras with LE so LE will know to contact them if needed, and businesses/apartments/corporations can provide direct access so LE has a feed during times of emergency.
Security Camera Registry | Cobb County Georgia
www.cobbcounty.org
JerseyWasHome2
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That’s an interesting idea on potential gang activity and a connection, for sure.
Jurisprudence
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The connection made the Los Angeles Times:
South L.A. prowler tied by DNA to slaying of mother of five in Maryland
A South L.A. burglar who was caught on a home security video has been tied by DNA to the slaying of a mother of five in Maryland.
They are getting his picture out there. Excellent.
Allabouttrial
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So, just watched the video and I think he has his shoes in his left hand and obviously his top under his arm.
lonetraveler
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"young girl"
lonetraveler
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I agree, more like 185lbs. IMO
Knox
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Our local PD does this - it's calledI don't know in this case. But I do know some communities and LE are working together to create easier access.
For example, I read about this during the mass shooting in Atlanta in May. Residents can register their security cameras with LE so LE will know to contact them if needed, and businesses/apartments/corporations can provide direct access so LE has a feed during times of emergency.
Security Camera Registry | Cobb County Georgia
Security Camera Registration & Mapping (SCRAM)
Jurisprudence
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Maybe. Depends if they've been in the system (think John Bitrolff identified bc his brother was in the system) or if they voluntarily submitted it for genealogy.
jmo
lonetraveler
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Just my two cents worth here but I think the interest in the crime that took place in LA and that it seems to be a total new mode of operation, that people are trying to examine the older mode of operation in case there are many other crimes between his time in LA to his time in Maryland. JMO but that is what crime sleuths do.
Jurisprudence
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I thought about gang affiliation last night and granted we can't see his legs or chest but from what we can see, and it's a decent amount I think, this suspect appears completely unmarked. Arms, neck, face, back, all clear. It's not determinative that no tattoos mean no gang but usually people affiliated with gangs "wear" some sort of symbol advertising their affiliation. To me he almost looked like he could be a preppy college kid or maybe even military.
jmo
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