Maryland sheriff buys $20k ATV to help in Rachel Morin case

A local Maryland sheriff’s foundation has shelled out $20,000 for a specialized off-road vehicle to aid the ongoing investigation into the murder of mom of five Rachel Morin.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Foundation purchased the expensive Gator ATV for “patrol reasons,” a spokesperson for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office told The Post on Tuesday.

The John Deere off-roader will be used to scour parts of the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, where 37-year-old Morin was last seen and later found dead earlier this month, the office also wrote last week in a Facebook post.

Until the new purchase, the office only had one ATV available.

“We are aware that this immediate need would have taken months to obtain by going through the government procurement process,” foundation president Walter “Butch” Tilley said.

“This is the reason the foundation exists to support the Sheriff’s Office and the public safety interest of the members of our community.”

As of Monday, the office has received 325 tips related to the death of Morin, who was last seen on the Ma & Pa Trail on the evening of August 5.

Her body was found on August 6 — less than 24 hours after her boyfriend, Richard Tobin, reported her missing.

Authorities later confirmed that the mom of five was the victim of a homicide, though they did not divulge more details about her cause of death.

The office has 10 investigators on the case, Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said in a Facebook video posted three days after Morin was found.

Speaking to The Post on Tuesday, a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office was unable to confirm this number.

“Please know we are holding details close to make sure a suspect is brought to justice,” Gahler said in the online address.

The sheriff also previously confirmed that authorities interviewed several people in Morin’s immediate circle, including Tobin, 27, whose criminal history includes assault charges and drug-related offenses.

Hours after Morin’s body was found, Tobin posted on Facebook that he had “changed” and “would never do anything” to his late girlfriend.

Morin owned her own cleaning business, and was described as a “very warm” and dedicated single mother by her former client Margaret Woltz.

“She raised them very well. She had a flexible work schedule that allowed her to make sure her kids were always taken care of. We were like grandparents to the kids and we trusted her implicitly,” Woltz, 69, told The Post.