Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris has raised concerns over the failure to collect a DNA sample from an illegal immigrant suspect charged in the murder of Rachel Morin. Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was tragically killed on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, in August 2023.
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested in connection with Morin's murder. Despite multiple encounters with border agents prior to the charges, it appears that Martinez-Hernandez's DNA was never collected, as required by the DNA Fingerprint Act for all illegal immigrants.
Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler announced Martinez-Hernandez's arrest, revealing that he faces charges of first-degree murder, rape, and kidnapping. Allegations suggest that only a fraction of migrants encountered at the border have their DNA samples collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Rep. Harris highlighted that out of nearly 1.7 million encounters with illegal immigrants in Fiscal Year 2022, only about 37% resulted in DNA collection, a figure that dropped to 31% in Fiscal Year 2023. This failure to collect DNA samples led to a prolonged search for Martinez-Hernandez, allowing him to evade law enforcement for 10 months.
Authorities have linked Martinez-Hernandez to other crimes against women in Central America and the United States, labeling him a potential serial killer. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the suspect.
Following Martinez-Hernandez's arrest, the attorney for Morin's family expressed relief that the State is pursuing life without parole, ensuring that the suspect will not pose a threat to public safety again. Investigators connected DNA evidence from Morin's murder to a home invasion in Los Angeles, but the lack of DNA sample logging in the national database hindered the identification process.
Despite the DNA match between the two cases, authorities faced challenges in identifying the suspect due to the absence of DNA samples in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Sheriff Gahler emphasized the impact of failed immigration policies on public safety, highlighting the need for improved procedures to prevent such tragic incidents.
