First on FOX – Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Tuesday morning asking why he had not collected a DNA sample from an illegal immigrant suspect in the Rachel Morin murder case.
Maureen, a 37-year-old mother of five, was brutally murdered in August 2023 on the Marnpa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, a wealthy suburb north of Baltimore.
“Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, the man accused of Rachel Morin’s murder, had multiple encounters with border agents before he was charged with the first-degree murder and rape of Rachel Morin. Yet his DNA appears never to have been collected,” Harris wrote in her letter Tuesday, calling it a “continuous and systemic failure” and noting that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is required to collect the DNA of all illegal immigrants under the DNA fingerprinting law.
In June, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Galler announced the arrest of Martinez-Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, in connection with Maureen’s murder.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in Tula, Oklahoma, and is charged with first-degree murder, rape and kidnapping in connection with Morin’s death.
WATCH: Body camera footage of immigrant accused of rape and murder of Maryland mom Rachel Morin
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, has arrived in Maryland. He is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in connection with the death of Rachel Morin on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Getty Images)
Harris pointed to allegations from DHS whistleblowers that CBP took DNA samples from less than a third of immigrants encountered by officials at the border.
Illegal immigrant charged with Rachel Morin’s murder ‘at a critical juncture’: Family lawyer
Read the letter:
“In fact, an internal government memo reported that in fiscal year 2022, only about 37 percent of the roughly 1.7 million encounters with illegal immigrants resulted in a DNA collection. That number reportedly dropped to 31 percent in fiscal year 2023,” Harris added. “The shortage of DNA samples forced law enforcement investigators to conduct lengthy searches across the country, allowing deadly criminals to roam free for (10) months.”
The Maryland lawmaker questioned Meyerkas about the whistleblower’s claim that DNA was collected from only a third of migrants encountered at the southern border. He asked whether a DNA sample was taken from Martinez-Hernandez after he entered the U.S., and if not, why not.
Maryland sheriff’s ‘gut feeling’ suggests Rachel Morin was ‘stalked’ by suspect before she was killed
Rachel Morin was dragged from a hiking trail and brutally murdered on August 5, 2023. (Family Data)
Authorities have described him as a possible serial killer for his alleged involvement in a string of crimes targeting women in Central America and the United States, and prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life in prison without parole.
“The Maureen family is relieved and pleased that the state is seeking a sentence of life without parole for the defendant,” said attorney Randolph Rice. Maureen’s family“This will ensure that the suspect responsible for Rachel’s tragic death will never have the opportunity to harm anyone again,” Martinez-Herdanez said in a statement after her arrest. “We appreciate the state’s commitment to securing justice for Rachel and ensuring public safety.”
Rachel Morin Murder: Maryland Police Link Crime Scene DNA to Los Angeles Assault, Home Invasion Cases
Maryland Rep. Andy Harris sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Tuesday morning asking about the suspect in the August 2023 murder of Rachel Morin. (Stephanie Reynolds/Bloomberg)
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Investigators linked DNA found at the Maureen murder scene to DNA found inside a Los Angeles home following a home invasion last March.
“Once upon a time in our country, and perhaps encouraged by anonymity, in March 2023, a 9-year-old girl and her mother were homebound and attacked in Los Angeles,” Gahler said at the time of the suspect’s arrest. “And as everyone I know knows, this is the first DNA match that links Rachel’s case to the Los Angeles case.”
Victor Hernandez-Martinez is accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin in Bel Air, Maryland, on August 5, 2023. (Hartford County Sheriff’s Office/Tulsa Police Department)
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But despite the DNA matching linking the two cases, authorities were unable to find a match for the DNA samples taken from the two crime scenes because the information was not entered into the National Consolidated DNA Index System (CODIS), a system that records DNA samples from criminals previously arrested in the United States.
“We are 1,800 miles from our southern border,” Gahler said in June. “And American citizens are not safe because of our failed immigration policies.”
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf and Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
