A man has been arrested 10 months after a mother of five murdered herself on a popular hiking trail

Authorities announced Saturday that a man has been arrested in connection with the August 2023 murder of mother-of-five Rachel Morin, whose body was found near a popular hiking trail in Maryland.

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, was arrested Friday evening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and will face first-degree murder and rape charges in connection with Morin’s killing, Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler announced at a news conference Saturday.

The case remained shrouded in mystery for months after Morin’s death while on the run, even though investigators linked the then-unknown suspect’s DNA to another crime scene across the country. On Aug. 18, weeks after Morin’s body was found Aug. 6 near the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, investigators announced that DNA likely belonging to the suspected killer matched DNA taken from a hat left by a man suspected in the March attack. 2023 Los Angeles home burglary Residential surveillance camera footage from a Los Angeles home burglary captured a man, but despite the video and police sketch, he remained unidentified.

Ultimately, FBI investigators used genetic genealogy methods to identify Martinez-Hernandez’s family members and then determine his location, Special Agent in Charge Bill DelBagno said at a news conference Saturday.

The sheriff said Martinez-Hernandez is a citizen of El Salvador and entered the United States illegally in February 2023. Authorities said he was suspected of the “brutal murder” of a young woman in his home country and came to the United States to flee responsibility.

The sheriff also provided more details about a home invasion in Los Angeles, saying a 9-year-old girl and her mother were “brutally attacked” there.

Investigators believe Martinez-Hernandez spent “some time” in Maryland, but they don’t know whether the alleged attack was random or targeted based on her “routine activities.”

Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, thanked investigators – which included federal, state and local authorities – for their tireless efforts.

“(They) gave me so much hope that they really cared about our family, my daughter, that they were going to work diligently to find the person who murdered her. At one point, when the situation seemed really bleak and hopeless, the lead detective told me, “Patience will prevail in the end,” Patty Morin said at a news conference.

Morin’s family is “extremely relieved” by the arrest and is grateful to investigators for their “exceptional work,” their lawyer told HuffPost on Monday, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing.

“We are asking the public to continue to provide information that may assist in the investigation and prosecution,” Randolph Rice said.

Gahler said authorities have begun the process of extraditing Martinez-Hernandez from Oklahoma to Maryland. It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney.

Rebekah Morin, Rachel’s older sister, paid tribute to her in a Facebook post on May 20, her birthday.

“She was full of life, full of energy, always laughing, even when she was sad. She was quiet and thoughtful, loved fiercely, sang loudly and danced freely. She was a light that shone brightly in the darkness and someone who had NO RIGHT took it away,” wrote Rebekah Morin.

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