Rachel Morin’s body was found by a friend who immediately suspected murder, pal’s dad says
The body of Maryland mom of five Rachel Morin was discovered by one of her close friends – and it immediately seemed clear that she’d been murdered, the pal’s dad said.
Michael Gabriszeski said he and his daughter had joined other volunteers in looking for the missing 37-year-old mom when they found her remains in a drain of the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air on Sunday afternoon.
“I kept telling them to search the tunnels, because I had a feeling about those tunnels,” he told told WMAR-2.
“I walked forward to search the one tunnel, and they searched the [other] one, and that’s where they found her,” he said of his daughter and another friend.
The condition of Morin’s remains suggested that she had been murdered, Gabriszeski added, without elaborating on exactly why.
He said he was glad “to bring her home so she can find a final resting place.”
“And for her family, that door can finally be closed, and they can get the investigation on and hopefully catch the person that did this,” he said.
“I hope they prosecute [the perpetrator] to the fullest extent of the law.”
Morin, 37, was last seen heading out on the Ma and Pa Trail around 6 p.m. Saturday.
She was reported missing by her boyfriend at 11:30 p.m., WMAR-2 said.
Even before the mom of five’s remains were officially identified by the coroner, police said they were confident Morin was the victim of foul play.
“This is not an accidental death or an incident where she took her own life. This is foul play on the part of another,” Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.
The Harford County Sheriff’s office said that as of Tuesday morning, it had received almost 90 tips. No suspects have been publicly named as of Wednesday morning.
Morin’s boyfriend, Richard Tobin, 27, on Monday denied being involved in her death.
“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,” he wrote under a recent Facebook update.
On Tuesday, Councilwoman Jessica Boyle-Tsottles rallied dozens of people from the tight-knit community to walk the train in honor of Morin’s life, WMAR-2 reported.
“Such a heinous act, you know, and it shouldn’t go unnoticed. We need to come out in numbers, and you know what? Who knows? Maybe we’ll get some tips and we can help out with this investigation,” she told the outlet.
“If you were on the Ma & Pa Trail on Saturday, or near the trail or trail heads and took photos or video, we are asking if you would please share them with investigators,” the office asked on social media.
Morin’s death comes at an already trying time for her family: A little over a week after the beloved mom disappeared, her four-month-old niece, Lily Beth Morin, died of SIDS.
“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,” Morin’s sister, Rebekah Morin, wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page.
Morin did not have life insurance, her sister said.
