"A lot of people want to use this for political reasons and I don't want to get into anything political but I just want people to realize that she's more than just a statistic," Patty Morin tells Inside Edition.
The mother of Rachel Morin, a mother of five who went missing after going hiking last summer on a Maryland trail, says that while she is grateful an arrest has been made on her daughter's murder case, she is upset the case has gotten caught up in politics.
The murder suspect was extradited from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thursday, authorities say. He arrived in Maryland Thursday handcuffed in the custody of Homeland Security agents.
The capture of Victor Hernandez, an undocumented migrant from El Salvador, has enflamed political discussions about border control.
When asked by CNN what he would say to critics who blame the Biden administration for relaxed immigration control, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seemingly forgot Morin's name, referring to her as "the individual."
"Our hearts break for the children, the family, the loved ones, the friends of the individual who was murdered, the woman, the mother," Mayorkas said.
Patty tells Inside Edition she does not want Rachel's death to be exploited for political purposes.
"A lot of people want to use this for political reasons and I don't want to get into anything political," Patty says. "Rachel is far more than just the pictures you see on social media. She was a life that was lived and now it's gone."
Hernandez remains behind bars without bond.
Patty says she fears he may have killed more people.
