BEL AIR, MARYLAND: The tragic death of Rachel Morin, a mother-of-five, has left her family in such shock that her distraught mother begged for some breathing space in an open letter posted on social media.

Morin, 37, was found dead over the weekend on a hiking route in Maryland. Her mother, Patricia, is asking for "space to grieve" after her body was discovered.

Morin appeared to have been battered to death and left naked by her assailant, the Daily Mail reported. Her body was found in a drain within a tunnel on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, after being reported missing on Saturday evening, August 5.

Who is Patricia Morin?

Patricia opened up about how her family was coping with the loss of Morin in a letter to the public that was posted by her daughter Rebekah on Facebook.

"We are grieving. We need the time and space to grieve as a family. We have not forgotten our community," she penned in the tear-jerking post.

"We just need time ... I need time. It has only been 4 days since we received the horrific news. I ask that as mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, that you would please have compassion on us and allow us this," the heartbroken mother added.

Patricia thanked everyone for their "outpouring of love and support" and the " worldwide community that grieves with me for my young daughter" at the beginning of the message.

Patricia added that because Morin was an "avid runner," the family was organizing a "celebration of life" funeral and a 5k walk/run in her memory. The distraught mother simply expressed her gratitude at the letter's end and signed it, "Rachel's mom."

Police hunt for potential witnesses

The family had shared Harford County Sheriff's Office's post with hashtags #Helpuslocate #rachelmorin. The potential witnesses who may have seen Morin on the trail have been brought to the attention of the detectives, as per the post.

"These individuals were walking on the Ma and PA trail from the Rt. 24 tunnel toward the split in the trail that leads to the Williams Street trailhead between 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm," the post read.

"These witnesses were described as either being 3 men, 2 women and 2 dogs OR 2 men, 3 women and 2 dogs. If this is you, please reach out to Sgt. Maddox at maddoxc@harfordsheriff.org," the post further added.

People are perplexed as to why nobody heard or saw anything.