Det. Philip Golden traveled the country piecing together evidence and coordinating efforts by state, local and federal investigators to find Rachel Morn’s killer. Now, he’s been honored as the National Deputy Sheriff of the Year.

Golden, 50, joined the Harford County Sheriff’s Office in 2001. After the police academy, he worked patrol for a brief time. He was transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division in 2005, where he has served as a major case detective.

In August 2023, Golden was called to investigate the death of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old Bel Air mother of five, after her body was found off the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air.

Morin’s family clung to hope as investigators worked for months to find leads on a suspect and a motive.

As the lead investigator in the case, Golden — who said he doesn’t like to fly — tracked leads from Harford County to Los Angeles; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Virginia; Pensacola, Florida and ultimately identified Salvadorian native, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, as Morin’s killer.

Golden collaborated with his team of 10 Harford County Sheriff’s Office investigators, along with state and federal law enforcement officials from across the country to locate and apprehend Martinez-Hernandez in June 2024.

Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty of pre-meditated murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual assault and kidnapping in April.

For his work on the case, Golden was awarded the Charles “Bud” Meeks Award for Deputy Sheriff of the Year for Merit, presented by the National Sheriffs’ Association..

Golden’s two adult children and his wife accompanied him to the National Sheriffs’ Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last month to receive the award.

“It is horrible to talk about what happened to Rachel, but I think in many places around this country, that killer remains free and that case does not get solved,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. “It got solved because of [Golden] and because of a lot of other people.”

Golden credited his team at the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and his family for supporting him throughout the investigation that often required him to travel out of state for numerous days at a time.

“Family are the ones who live it with us, and when I leave and tell them I don’t know when I am coming home and I show up two days later to pack another bag to leave again. They are the ones wondering where you’re at and what you’re doing,” Golden said. “Without their support, the job would be a lot tougher, so it is important to recognize them as well.”

Golden noted that he was glad for the recognition, but sees his role in the Morin case as doing what “needs to be done.”

“Any time you get a case and you’re able to have a successful resolution, there is a sense of gratification that you were able to do your job and do it well,” Golden said. “As far as the award, I am a human, I do like recognition, but at the same time, I am a behind-the-scenes person and I do what needs done and that’s it.”

Outside of his work as a detective, Golden is a certified EMT in Pennsylvania, where he lives. When he is not working in Harford County, he is either hunting or volunteering at his hometown firehouse.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office has been nationally recognized 14 times since 2016. Since Gahler became sheriff 11 years ago, four deputies have received the Deputy Sheriff of the Year award.

Now, Golden and the rest of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office are waiting for notification from the International Association of Chiefs of Police on whether Golden will be one of four deputies nominated for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Police Officer of the Year award.

If selected, Golden will attend the award conference in Denver in October.

Deputy 1st Class Nicholas Marks of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2023 for saving a driver and a child from a burning vehicle in 2022.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.