Maryland mom of five Rachel Morin was killed just a week after her baby niece died
The mother of five who was found dead under suspicious circumstances on a Maryland hiking trail over the weekend was killed just a few days after her infant niece also died, her grieving family has revealed.
The body of Rachel Morin, 37, was discovered on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air on Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after she was last seen heading for a hike on Saturday evening.
She was found just a week after her brother’s four-month-old daughter, Lillian Elizabeth Morin, died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) on July 28, her sister Rebekah Morin wrote on social media.
“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 posted on that second fundraiser for her sister’s funeral costs.
Morin did not have life insurance, her sister said.
Rebekah previously started a fundraiser for Lily Beth, who appears to be the daughter of Rebekah and Rachel’s brother, Nathan, and his wife, Magan, social media posts indicate.
One day before her unexpected passing, Lily Beth was pictured lounging on a beach blanket with her older siblings at a happy family outing, one Facebook post shows.
The little one was buried following a private funeral service on Friday.
“I have not had the words to express my thoughts and feelings over the last week. To be honest, I still don’t,” Magan Morin wrote in a gut-wrenching post shortly after midnight on Sunday – about 12 hours before Rachel’s body was found.
“It’s hard for me to even open social media at the moment, but I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has loved and supported us in the unexpected passing of our sweet Lily Beth.”
Shortly after Rachel’s death was confirmed, Rebekah previously wrote on GoFundMe that her sister’s death was “not accidentally (sic)” and that she “did not go willingly.”
While Rachel’s cause of death has not been revealed, police confirmed that a homicide investigation is underway.
About one day after Morin’s body was found, her boyfriend, Richard Tobin, made a cryptic comment under a recent Facebook update confirming their relationship status.
“I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve. Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please,” Tobin, 27, wrote.
Tobin has a history with law enforcement – including arrested for assault malicious destruction of property, and violating restraining orders, according to court records.
As of Tuesday morning, police have not named Tobin or any other individuals as suspects in the killing.
Investigators do not believe that Rachel’s death is related to the disappearance of Karen Elliott, 58, who vanished from a hotel in Bel Air just a few hours before Rachel was last seen, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference Sunday evening.
