A wrongful death lawsuit has implicated three police officers in the death of Sandra Birchmore, a 23-year-old pregnant woman from Massachusetts, who was found hanging in her apartment in 2021. The case has taken a new turn with the release of a report commissioned by Birchmore’s estate, which suggests that her death may have been a homicide rather than a suicide.
According to the report, the manner in which Birchmore’s body was found is inconsistent with suicide by hanging. “She wasn’t hanging from a pull or something, she was in a fully-seated position,” said Melissa Berry, an admin for the Facebook group “Justice for Sandra Birchmore.” “Usually, people who hang themselves are elevated.”
The report also highlights a fractured bone in Birchmore’s neck, which is rare in suicide cases but common in strangulation deaths. The investigation found that Birchmore was groomed and sexually abused by three police officers, including Matthew Farwell, who was 27 at the time and had an inappropriate relationship with Birchmore when she was 15.
The police department has failed to file criminal charges against the officers, and all three have resigned from the department. The department’s investigation found that Matthew Farwell was the last person to see Birchmore alive and was seen on surveillance video at her apartment four days before her death, spending 20 minutes inside. Birchmore was also reportedly pregnant with Farwell’s child.
The new report has raised suspicions that the police department may have covered up the truth about Birchmore’s death. “She deserves in death to be treated better than when she was treated in life by these officers,” said Berry. “The police department failed Sandra. We need them to pick up the slack and actually stand up for her.”
The case has sparked outrage and calls for justice for Birchmore and her unborn child. The police department has responded to the report, saying they will cooperate with additional inquiries and that “good cops must say ‘never again’ to the sort of victimization Birchmore experienced.”
