Rachel Morin update: Maryland sheriff denies man’s claims about seeing missing mother’s body

The mother of Rachel Morin has broken her silence with a plea for compassion as the family takes time to grieve the “sudden and tragic” loss of the 37-year-old whose body was found near a hike trial on Sunday,

“We are grieving. We need the time and space to grieve as a family. We have not forgotten our community,” the post read.

“We just need time. . . I need time. It has only been 4 days since we received the horrific news. I ask that as mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, that you would please have compassion on us and allow us this.”

The heartfelt letter, which was shared Thursday in a post on the Facebook page of Rachel Morin’s sister Rebekah, thanked the community for its support and announced that a Celebration of Life service and a 5K run would be held in Morin’s honor thanks to the money raised.

Michael Gabriszeski, 49, claimed to multiple news outlets that he and his stepdaughter came across Rachel Morin’s body on Sunday.

However, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office told The Independent that Mr Gabriszeski was not even “within eyesight of the crime scene” when her body was found.

Mr Gabriszeski “did not find Rachel’s body” and that he did not “view her body” and he has “no first-hand knowledge of the crime scene,” the sheriff’s office added.

Mr Gabriszeski gave graphic accounts of what he claimed he saw to both the Daily Mail and WBFF, telling the latter that he “saw a terrible mess”.

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler addressed questions about whether Morin’s boyfriend Richard Tobin had been interviewed.

“The answer is yes, we have,” the sheriff said, “Along with many other people who are close to Rachel.”

“That is the way an investigation is conducted,” he added.

Mr Tobin released a statement on Facebook earlier this week saying he had nothing to do with Morin’s death.

Investigators in the Harford County Sheriff’s Office do not have an official suspect yet in the case.

“We do not have a solid suspect. Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event,” Mr Gahler said.

Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler said investigators do not yet have a “solid suspect” in the killing of Rachel Morin.

“We do not have a solid suspect. Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event,” Mr Gahler said.

Mr Gahler urged the public to be vigilant when walking along the Ma & Pa Trail and said there will be increased patrols along the trail.

Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old woman from Maryland with five children, was found deceased near the side of a trail in Bel Air on Sunday.

Law enforcement in the Harford Police Department said Morin’s death was a homicide with foul play suspected.

According to reports, Morin was a fitness enthusiast who was going on a run at the Ma & Pa Trail at the time of her disappearance.

Her mother wrote in a letter shared on Facebook Thursday that Morin was an avid runner. A 5K is being planned in her honour.

A friend of Morin’s, Becca Dill, described her as “a fighter” who found strength in her faith.

Ms Dill told The Baltimore Banner on “days [Morin] felt defeated or abandoned by the world” she would read scripture.

Morin’s best friend, Claudia Brown, wrote in a Facebook post that, “Rachel was so unabashedly herself: witty and genuine, brilliant, daring, and headstrong. Her spirit would light up the room and her smile was contagious.”

She added that her “faith was strong.”

Ms Brown wrote that Ms Morin had been divorced, and was a “fierce protector of her children and loved them with all of her heart”.

Ms Morin had worked as a model and appeared on the cover of Owl Magazine, Harford Community College’s student publication, where her brother John Morin worked as a technical director.

She also started her own cleaning business, East Coast Cleaners, in 2019, according to Open Corporates.

He urged the public to keep sending in tips – even if the details may seem insignificant.

Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler reiterated that the public should continue sending in tips even if the details may seem insignificant.

“That might be the key piece of evidence of information we are looking for,” the sheriff said.

“Some of your tips have been promising and tremendous in advancing the investigation and bringing us closer to getting the answers that we need, the answers that Rachel’s family needs, and the answers that our community needs.”

The Maryland man who claimed he saw the body of 37-year-old Rachel Morin was not even “within eyesight of the crime scene” when she was found, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office told The Independent.

Michael Gabriszeski, 49, claimed to multiple news outlets that he and his stepdaughter came across Morin’s body on Sunday when they joined the search for the missing mother-of-five, who had vanished on Saturday after going for a jog on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland.

Mr Gabriszeski said that his stepdaughter, who he said was a friend of Morin’s, was the first to discover the body in a tunnel near the trail before they alerted police. He gave his first public comments to WMAR on Monday.

On Thursday, multiple media outlets published interviews in which Mr Gabriszeski described seeing Morin’s remains in a horrifying state.

Mr Gabriszeski gave graphic accounts of what he claimed he saw to both the Daily Mail and WBFF, telling the latter that he “saw a terrible mess”.

But a spokesperson for the Harford County’s Sheriff’s Office confirmed to The Independent on Thursday that Mr Gabriszeski “did not find Rachel’s body” and that he did not “view her body.”

“He has no first-hand knowledge of the crime scene,” the sheriff’s office added. The spokesperson would not confirm whether or not the stepdaughter was the one to locate the body.

The goal amount for the GoFundMe has been raised to $65,000 as the family now plans to arrange a large celebration of life for Rachel Morin.

As of Thursday afternoon, donations totalled $41,612.

In a Facebook post, Morin’s mother wrote that “because of the tremendous outpouring of prayers, love and concern, our family is in the process of making arrangements for a Celebration of Life service to which friends and the community will be invited .”

Morin’s sister Rebkah, who created the page, posted on 7 August, thanking everyone for their support .

“I raised the goal as we would like to do a large celebration of life for Rachel. We had no idea the amount of people she touched, even in just her everyday life. We want all those who loved her to grieve with us and celebrate her life. We would also like to raise enough to get a headstone that is fitting for her and we did not take into account the fees. We appreciate all those who have shared, donated and thoughtful words. ❤️ Thank you.”

Rachel Morin’s sister Rebekah shared an open letter from Rachel’s mother asking for time to grieve.

The letter was posted to Facebook on Thursday just a day after the Hartford County Sheriff vowed to bring the “heinous coward” who killed Morin to justice.

To all the mothers with daughters, to the fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands, to our local community, and to world onlookers:

If you have experienced the loss of a dear loved one, then you know how hard it can be to express the pain that you feel in your heart. When it’s sudden and tragic, your mind looks for ways to cope.

As a mom, I appreciate the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the worldwide community that grieves with me for my young daughter.

Thank you for caring. Truly.

Because of the tremendous outpouring of prayers, love and concern, our family is in the process of making arrangements for a Celebration of Life service to which friends and the community will be invited (more details to come).

And because Rachel was an avid runner, we are in the early stages of planning a 5K walk/run in her honor with the hope of having a trail of flowers.

We are grieving. We need the time and space to grieve as a family. We have not forgotten our community. We just need time. . . I need time. It has only been 4 days since we received the horrific news. I ask that as mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, that you would please have compassion on us and allow us this.

After the disappearance and death of Rachel Morin, police in the Harford County Sheriff’s Office have begun implementing a “heavy presence” of deputies patrolling the trail where the 37-year-old went missing.

This “heavy presence” includes authorities patrolling by foot, bike and all-terain vehicles.

The new large quantity of patrolling deputies is part of an effort to make members of the community feel safer.

Morin was killed over the weekend after going for a jog on the Ma and Pa Trail in northern Maryland.

Police do not have a solid suspect as of now and have warned people to act viligantly when embarking on the trail.