Biden admin won't say whether it plans to contact family of Maryland mom allegedly killed by illegal immigrant
The Biden administration will not say whether it has plans to reach out to the family of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five who was allegedly raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant last year.
Randolph Rice, an attorney for the Morin family, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Patty Morin, Rachel's mother, had yet to be contacted by an official from the Biden administration.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House seeking information on whether they planned to make contact with the Morin family after Patty Morin told Fox News Channel's Laura Ingraham on Wednesday that no one from the administration had contacted her or her family about the death of her daughter.
No response was given to Fox by the White House or DHS about Morin's comments or whether they are planning to contact the family.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said, "The Department cannot publicly comment on an ongoing criminal investigation. That said, anyone who commits a horrific and senseless crime, like the one this individual is accused of, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent under the law. Our hearts go out to Rachel Morin’s family."
The White House offered condolences to the loved ones of Rachel Morin in a statement this week but would not say what steps it would take to secure the border when asked by a Fox News Digital reporter.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Rachel Morin," a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. "We cannot comment on active law enforcement cases. But fundamentally, we believe that people should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law if they are found to be guilty."
Rice told Fox that former President Trump reached out to Patty Morin on Thursday morning and that the two had a 20-minute conversation about her daughter.
Patty Morin said in a press release offered by her attorney that she was "deeply touched by President Trump's kindness and concern."
"He was genuine and truly wanted to know how our family was coping," she added. "He asked about Rachel and showed honest compassion for her untimely death. His words brought comfort to me during this very difficult time."
Morin, 37, was reported missing in August by her boyfriend, who said she never returned after going out for a run on the Ma & Pa Trail, a pedestrian trail, in Bel Air, a quiet and typically safe town about 28 miles northeast of Baltimore, on Aug. 5, 2023.
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Her body was found on a trail the following day.
Victor Martinez Hernandez, the illegal migrant suspected of murdering Morin, was arrested on June 14 after a lengthy 10-month investigation into Morin's murder. He was charged with rape and first-degree murder.
Hernandez, who has reportedly been in the U.S. since February 2023, was apprehended while "casually sitting" at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Police said he arrived in the U.S. only a month after he allegedly murdered a young woman in El Salvador. His DNA was also linked to a March home invasion in Los Angeles, where a mother and her 9-year-old daughter were assaulted, according to authorities.
"We all suspected that Rachel was not his first victim," Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said during the arrest announcement last weekend. "It is my understanding that this suspect, this monster, fled to the United States illegally after committing the brutal murder of a young woman in El Salvador a month earlier in January of 2023."
Hernandez was expected to be extradited to Maryland on Thursday to face charges. He was scheduled to leave Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday morning and arrive at Martin State Airport between 12:30 and 1 p.m., the Harford County Police Department confirmed.
Following his arrival in Maryland, the 23-year-old will be taken to the Harford County Detention Center, police said.
Fox News' Michael Lee, Bailee Hill and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.