The children of Rachel Morin, a Harford County woman killed in 2023, are suing their grandmother and aunt for withholding proceeds from fundraising efforts following Morin’s death, according to court records.

Morin was murdered in August 2023 along the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County. Shortly after, Rachel Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, and sister, Rebekah Morin, created a GoFundMe to pay for Morin’s funeral and support her children, raising tens of thousands of dollars, according to the civil complaint.

Morin’s oldest daughter, Faye McMahon, turned 18 years old a month before the death of her mother, making her the next of kin, according to court records. Faye was also appointed as the personal representative of Rachel Morin’s estate in December 2023, according to the civil complaint.

Although Faye was the next of kin, she did not have a hand in creating the fundraising page nor was she represented by the family’s attorney, Randolph Rice, according to Matt McMahon, Faye’s father.

“With the GoFundMe, nobody asked Faye any opinions about that, and she is the next of kin,” Matt McMahon said. “She is the only person who can legally speak for Rachel right now, especially since she’s the executor of Rachel Morin’s estate.”

In a statement emailed to The Sun, Rice said “the individuals who filed the action are motivated more by self-interest than any genuine concern for the welfare of Rachel Morin’s children — they appear to be advocating for themselves under the guise of fighting for the kids.”

All funds raised in Rachel Morin’s name reportedly went to expenses like her headstone and funeral arrangements, Rice said. All remaining funds were placed in the “Rachel Morin Memorial Trust Fund,” which was established to benefit all of Rachel’s children, he said.

According to the civil complaint, the fundraising page initially said, “If there are any remaining funds they will go towards things her five children may need.”

After Faye became the personal representative of Rachel Morin’s estate, the language in the fundraising page changed, stating, “If there are any remaining funds they will go towards Rachel’s family and things her minor children need,” the civil complaint said.

“In the beginning, there was a connection with Patty and Rebekah. Everybody was pulled together,” Matt McMahon said. “Later, it became apparent that something was amiss.”

GoFundMe requires the guardian of a minor to permit them to raise money and that money be transformed into a trust or an account for the sole benefit of the minor. The lawsuit alleges that the children or their guardians never received anything from the GoFundMe page.

According to Matt McMahon, the guardians or Faye did not attempt to take down the GoFundMe in hopes that the issue would be resolved without a lawsuit. As the wording of the GoFundMe continued to change, it seemed to alienate Faye from the process, McMahon said.

Two guardians representing four of the minors, along with Faye, decided to take action.

“We were always hopeful that people would start working with Faye instead of taking her rights away,” Matt McMahon said.

According to the civil complaint, the family arranged other fundraising efforts to support the children. A pizzeria committed a significant portion of Thanksgiving sales for the children, but the proceeds went to Patty and Rebekah instead, the civil complaint said.

Faye contacted Rice, the family’s attorney, for information regarding how much money had been raised and how it was used, Matt McMahon said. Rice responded with an email, informing her that he could provide information while suggesting she should retain an attorney, Faye’s father said.

Rachel Morin’s children are asking for a permanent restraining order on Patty and Rebekah from spending any money from the fundraisers, and Rice from representing the family. A conference for this civil case is scheduled for Oct. 7.

“We take our representation of the Rachel Morin family seriously, which has been provided pro bono and with significant expenses expended by our firm,” Rice said. “We will continue our mission to support Rachel Morin’s family through this tragic time, as we are committed to upholding the highest standards of victim advocacy.”

Maryland law generally puts the estate representative in charge of the distribution of the estate’s assets, according to Brian Gilmore, a law professor at the University of Maryland.

“The children also are the heirs to the estate and would likely receive all the proceeds of the estate unless there is a will or something that would cause a court to deviate from that process,” Gilmore wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun.

Without seeing the complaint, Gilmore believes GoFundMe proceeds are part of the deceased’s estate and the estate is likely to be awarded control over the assets.

“I suspect they are saying those funds belong to the children of the late, Ms. Morin and the estate representative will take control of them and make sure those funds are distributed in that way,” Gilmore wrote. “The other family members acting on their own for whatever reason seem likely to lose the case, if you ask me. GoFundMe, if they become aware of this, might not release the funds either. This feels like a violation of their platform’s guidelines.”