Man who described grisly state of Rachel Morin’s body never actually saw it, sheriff says
The Maryland man who claimed he saw the body of 37-year-old Rachel Morin was not even “in sight of the crime scene” when it was found, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said The Independent.
Michael Gabriszeski, 49, claimed to multiple news outlets that he and his stepdaughter stumbled upon Morin’s body on Sunday while joining the search for the missing mother-of-five, who disappeared on Saturday after she was killed at the Ma and Pa jogging trail in Bel Air, Maryland.
Mr Gabriszeski said his stepdaughter, who he said was a friend of Morin’s, was the first to spot the body in a tunnel near the trail before alerting police. He made his first public comments WMAR On Monday.
On Thursday, several media outlets published interviews in which Mr. Gabriszeski described Morin’s remains as being in a terrible condition.
Mr. Gabriszeski vividly described to the two what he had allegedly seen Daily mail and WBFF, who told the latter that he “saw an awful mess.”
However, a spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this The Independent on Thursday that Mr. Gabriszeski “did not find Rahel’s body” and that he “did not see her body.”
“He has no firsthand knowledge of the crime scene,” the sheriff’s office added.
Mr. Gabriszeski was in the area to help locate the missing woman, the sheriff’s office said, but said he was “not within sight of the crime scene.”
The spokesman did not want to confirm whether the stepdaughter found the body.
Rachel Morin was last seen alive heading up the Ma and Pa Trail
(Harford County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators have also not confirmed details of Morin’s injuries or the condition of her remains.
Morin first left her home around 6 p.m. on Saturday to go jogging. When she didn’t return five hours later, her boyfriend called the police and reported her missing. Her body was found on Sunday afternoon.
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said the case was now a murder investigation.
“Together we will solve this crime and find the heinous coward who snatched Rachel Morin from her family and friends,” Mr. Gahler said in another briefing on Wednesday.
He added that a team of detectives has been working around the clock to put together a timeline for the case and that some of the “100+ leads” that have been filed by the public have been “promising”.
Investigators in the Harford County Sheriff’s Office have not yet found an official suspect in the case.
“We have no solid suspects. Since we don’t know if this was a targeted event specifically for Rachel, we’re going to say, “Yes, be aware, think there might be someone out here and this is a random event,” Mr. Gahler said .
Mr Gahler urged the public to be vigilant when walking the Ma and Pa Trail, saying there will be increased patrols along the trail.
This article was modified on August 10, 2023. It was previously said that Michael Gabriszeski discovered Rachel Morin’s body based on his own statements.
