On Saturday, hundreds of people in the local community joined a remembrance walk to honour the life of the 37-year-old slain mother.

Morin’s sister Rebekah organised the vigil to walk “Rachel’s last steps” on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, where she was found dead on 6 August. Rebekah also posted a heartfelt poem celebrating her sister’s life on Sunday.

“So… sleep on my sister, sleep tight/For now with you the sky is night/But after night will come daybreak/Therefore I will wait hoping to see you awake,” Morin’s grieving sister wrote on Facebook.

Rachel’s brother, John Morin

Her brother, John, has been a lot quieter on social media than her sister Rebekah and her mother, but he has been linking to video footage and the walk in Rachel’s memory.

He also posted a tear jerking post, a screenshotted conversation from two years ago between him and Rachel, with the caption: “Can’t wait to see you again someday soon.”

Community support continues as GoFundMePage flourishes

Rebekah Morin, Rachel’s sister, organized a fundraiser for the mother-of-five’s funeral expenses. She set a goal of raising $65,000, and individuals—some who knew Morin and others who were affected by her tragic death—have donated money and shared kind words.

“This tragedy affects our whole community. I can’t get this off my mind. I only spoke with Rachel once at the Bel Air, ShopRite Grocery store about paper plates. We chatted about families, and she told me about her 5 children. My deepest sympathies to the Morin family for both of your losses. I have prayed for you every day,” someone wrote on the page.

Another contributor wrote, “Don’t know Rachel but I’ve been following this tragedy since Sunday . It’s heartbreaking knowing she was out for a safe hike then tragedy hits. I wanted to contribute to give her a nice memorial and for her kids to be able to have something too. Prayers.”

Outpouring of support for Morin

Locals have posted photos and loving words in memory of Rachel Morin along the Ma and Pa trail in Maryland.

Rachel Morin and Richard Tobin

The pair officially got together on 1 August, according to his Facebook profile.

He has denied any involvement in the case, as people were baselessly pointing fingers at him after she was reported missing. He snapped back to those accusations, saying, “never do anything to her.” He wrote on social media, “Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please.”

Once police released video footage, he wrote on Facebook, urging people “please help identify this scum bag.”

Recap: what we know about the Rachel Morin case

The 37-year-old set out to go hiking on 5 August; her boyfriend Richard Tobin called police at about 11pm to report her missing after she failed to return home that night.

The next morning, the 37-year-old’s car was located at the Williams St entrance to the Ma and Pa Trail.

At 1.07pm on 6 August, a member of the public called 911 to report finding a woman’s body near the trail.

Days after unanswered questions hung in the air about what happened to Morin, finally on 17 August, investigators announced a major break in the case: they discovered DNA at the crime scene. Police said that DNA matched a sample taken from a 26 March home invasion and assault of a young girl across the country.

The suspected murderer and Morin likely didn’t know each other, as police have called the incident a “potentially a random act of violence.” Now, police are searching for leads on how to find the suspect and are asking the public to submit tips to help identify the suspect released in the video footage.

What people are saying about the case

As the mystery surrounding what happened to the mother-of-five has gripped the nation, social media users have made comments about the nature of the case. Seeing as police have described the tragedy as being “a random act of violence,” the freaky thought that this could have happened to anyone seems to be resonating with among social media users.

One Facebook user opined, “So sad a woman can’t go jog in a park.”

Another wrote, “If this assailant could travel from the West Coast to the East Coast in a couple months, then he could be anywhere. I pray he gets caught before anybody else gets hurt.”

A 10 August letter from Rachel Morin’s mother, as posted on Facebook by Rebekah Morin

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.

Thank you, Rachel’s Mom

Rachel Morin Mysterious Death Recap

The 37-year-old was last seen around 6pm getting ready to hike along the Ma and Pa trail in Maryland on 5 August.

At 1.07pm on 6 August, a member of the public called 911 to report finding a woman’s body near the trail.

After her family was left to mourn her mysterious death without any answers for days, finally on 17 August, investigators announced a major break in the case: they discovered DNA at the crime scene.

Beyond this, that DNA matches a sample taken from a 26 March home invasion and assault of a young girl across the country. Now, police are searching for leads on how to find the suspect.

The suspected murderer and Morin likely didn’t know each other, as police have called the incident a “potentially a random act of violence.”

Read more:

Local business hosts Rachel Morin fundraiser

A Bel Air, Maryland bakery, Flavor Cupcakery, said it would donate 20 per cent of its sales on Saturday, during the family’s memorial walk, to help fund the mother-of-five’s funeral expenses.