Sheriff Vows to Find 'Heinous Coward' Who Killed Rachel Morin, Confirms Boyfriend Has Been Interviewed

On Thursday, Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff's Office released a video updating the public on the case -- which began on Saturday after Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five from Bel Air, Maryland, never returned from a run. Her boyfriend reported her missing, before her body was discovered the following day along a hiking trail.

Since making headlines, many took to the Facebook page of Morin's boyfriend, Richard Tobin, to speculate over his involvement. At one point, he even commented, saying, "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."

During his update, Gahler said one question his office has "continued to get centers around whether we have interviewed the boyfriend in this case." He then confirmed that, yes, they have -- before adding, "along with many other people who are close to Rachel."

"That is the way an investigation is conducted," he continued. "We start with people who are in her close inner circle and others who may have known her and work outward."

According to Gahler, 10 investigators from the criminal investigations division have been assigned to the case and "continue to work around the clock" on the case. He said those detectives, forensic investigators and crime analysts "have been scouring every detail of the days, hours, minutes and seconds before Rachel died in order to put together the pieces of a comprehensive timeline."

The Sheriff's Office has received more than 100 tips from the community, said Gahler, who said some of them 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 the community needs."

Thanking the community for their support, he also urged everyone to keep sending in tips -- even for something they may deem "insignificant" -- because they "might be the key piece of information we're looking for."

He then addressed those who may be "concerned there might be someone in our midst praying on women," saying he understood their fears while revealing how they've amped up police presence on the hiking trails.

According to Gahler, there will be a "heavy presence of deputies" in the area, patrolling on foot, bike and ATV. He added that they even secured $20,000 to "fill an immediate need" for a secondary ATV, so they're able to have one at each end of the trail in an effort to keep everyone safe.

"I understand many of you want answers and we do too. What I can tell you for sure is this was an intentional taking of a person's life," he explained. "Please know we are holding details close to help ensure a suspect is brought to justice. There will be a time when I can share more and when we can I promise to answer as many questions as I can. It's a delicate balance to help the public stay informed, but it cannot be at the expense of a quality investigation."

"Please be safe and take care of each other, watch out for each other," he concluded in his message. "Together we will solve this crime and find the heinous coward who took Rachel Morin from her family and friends."

During a press conference on Sunday evening, Gahler said the case went from a missing person to a homicide after recovering her body. While he was hesitant to reveal what they found at the scene, he said there were "indicators" of murder and detectives "have no doubt" they're "sadly" dealing with a homicide case.