Maryland Rep. Andy Harris Demands Answers from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Regarding DNA Collection in the Rachel Morin Murder Case
Maryland Republican Congressman Andy Harris has taken action, questioning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over what he terms a significant failure in the case of Rachel Morin’s murder. Harris has sent a formal letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seeking explanations as to why the DNA of the illegal immigrant suspect, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, was never collected despite multiple encounters with U.S. border agents.
Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was brutally murdered on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, in August 2023. The suspect, Martinez-Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was apprehended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2024. He now faces charges of first-degree murder, rape, and kidnapping in connection with Morin’s death.
DNA Collection Failures Highlighted
In his letter, Rep. Harris highlighted a “persistent and systemic failure” in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s DNA collection process. Under the DNA Fingerprint Act, CBP is required to collect DNA from all illegal immigrants. However, according to whistleblowers within the DHS, less than a third of migrants encountered at the border had their DNA samples collected in recent years.
Harris pointed out that only about 37% of illegal immigrants had their DNA collected in Fiscal Year 2022, with that figure dropping to 31% in Fiscal Year 2023. He emphasized the critical impact of this oversight, as law enforcement was forced into a prolonged, nationwide search for Martinez-Hernandez, allowing him to remain at large for nearly 10 months.
Questions and Demands for Accountability
In his letter to Secretary Mayorkas, Harris posed several key questions: Was a DNA sample ever collected from Martinez-Hernandez after he entered the U.S.? If not, why was this not done? Additionally, he sought clarity on the whistleblower claims regarding the DNA collection rate at the border.
Potential Serial Killer and Public Safety Concerns
Authorities have labeled Martinez-Hernandez a potential serial killer due to his alleged involvement in multiple crimes against women in both Central America and the United States. DNA evidence from the scene of Morin’s murder was linked to DNA found in a Los Angeles home invasion and assault case from March 2023, but due to the lack of a prior identity match in the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), Martinez-Hernandez’s crimes went undetected for months.
Impact on the Morin Family
Randolph Rice, the attorney representing Rachel Morin’s family, expressed relief that prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without the possibility of parole for Martinez-Hernandez. The family is hopeful that justice will be served and that the suspect will never have the opportunity to harm anyone again.
The Morin case has reignited debates over immigration policies and the effectiveness of current systems in place to protect U.S. citizens. Rep. Harris’s letter underscores the need for greater accountability and improvements in the handling of DNA collection to prevent similar tragedies in the future.