The 37-year-old mother-of-five who was found dead on a hiking trail in Maryland over the weekend was brutally beaten to death and left naked by her killer, according to reports. Rachel Morin's lifeless body was found in a drain in a tunnel on the picturesque Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland.
Morin went missing on Saturday evening and was found dead the next day. Local resident Michael Gabriszeski, along with his stepdaughter Cecilia, and her friend Evan, had joined the search for Morin. Cecilia was friends with Morin. Gabriszeski was the first to find Morin's battered and naked body on Sunday.
Grim Discovery
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Gabriszeski, who has expertise as a Native American tracker, shared that he and his stepdaughter had chosen to search two drainage tunnels along the trail in Hartford County.
They made this decision after noticing "disturbances" on the ground near the path where the fitness enthusiast had been walking that evening.
"[Morin] was laying on her back, fully naked, and she had brutal head trauma...it looked like her head had been smashed in with a rock," Michael Gabriszeski told the Daily Mail of the harrowing moment his stepdaughter, Cecilia, found her 37-year-old friend in a drain tunnel on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air Sunday afternoon.
"There was a 15 to 20-foot blood trail. So, it looked like she had been beaten and dragged into that position," Gabriszeski continued.
"It looked like [the killer] was trying to erase her identity...the right side of her face was gone."
"Cecilia was the first person to see the body," Gabriszeski recounted.
"She was hyperventilating really, really bad. And then the police told her to sit down. When she sat down, she realized she was sitting in a big pool of blood."
Another source close to the family who was familiar with the situation confirmed Gabriszeski's account, claiming that Morin had suffered disfiguring injuries.
"The injuries were so horrific that there won't be an open casket [at her funeral]," the source lamented.
Mysterious Death
Although the police have not yet officially confirmed the cause of Morin's death, the local sheriff previously indicated that the incident was evidently "not an accidental death." "This is a foul play on the part of another," said Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler surmised.
A spokesperson from Harford County's Sheriff's Office refrained from providing details regarding the manner in which Morin was killed.
Simultaneously, law police have made efforts to collect any available footage from individuals who were present on the trail during the weekend.
"Detectives are asking your your help 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," Harford County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
It added: "There could be something helpful in one of your photos that might bring us one one more piece of the puzzle.
"As of this morning, we have already received nearly 90 tips from concerned community members in reference to the murder of Rachel Morin. Thank you for all the support you have given."
Moring was last seen when she embarked on the Ma & Pa Trail at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Her boyfriend, Richard Tobin, reported her disappearance at 11:30 that same evening. Tragically, her remains were found less than 24 hours later.
No suspects had been named publicly as of Thursday morning.
Earlier this week, after Morin went missing on Saturday night, Gabriszeski informed a local news outlet that he had "a feeling" about the tunnels."
He continued by saying that he was happy "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.
The mother of five was killed just over a week after her four-month-old niece Lily Beth Morin died of SIDS.
On Monday, Morin's boyfriend Richard Tobin denied any involvement in her death. However, Tobin has a lengthy rap sheet that includes second-degree assault, breaking restraining orders, and resisting arrest. He has been arrested 14 times since 2014 on a variety of charges.
"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," the 27-year-old wrote in a recent Facebook update.
Documents reveal that Tobin's record includes a series of traffic violations, a fugitive from justice offense, instances of resisting arrest, and charges of disorderly intoxication and misconduct.
