This article contains discussions of suicide. If you or someone you know struggles with thoughts of suicide, you can reach the National Crisis line by dialing 988 to find help in your area.
(NewsNation) — Melissa Berry, an admin for the Facebook page “Justice for Sandra Birchmore,” believes the death of a pregnant Massachusetts woman was a homicide, not a suicide.
“The manner of how her hanging was. She wasn’t hanging from a pull or something, she was in a fully-seated position,” Berry said on “Banfield.” “Usually, people who hang themselves are elevated.”
In a lawsuit, Birchmore’s estate has implicated three police officers in her death and alleged that she was groomed and sexually abused by those officers when she was a teenager.
Berry and members from the Facebook group responsible for leading the charge in renewed interest in the case “want to make sure that justice is done for Sandra and her baby.”
“She deserves in death to be treated better than when she was treated in life by these officers,” Berry said on “Banfield.” The police department failed Sandra. We need them to pick up the slack, and actually stand up for her.”
How did Sandra Birchmore die?
Birchmore died in 2021, and her body was found in her Canton, Massachusetts, apartment after she didn’t show up for work for several days. At the time, she was 23 years old and pregnant.
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Her family has questioned the official ruling of suicide and said Birchmore was groomed and sexually abused by three police officers.
They filed a wrongful death suit against the department, accusing them of negligent hiring, negligent supervision and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Police investigation
Birchmore took part in a youth explorer program with the department starting when she was 13, and Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara has alleged that three officers groomed her. When she was 15, Birchmore allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with Matthew Farwell, who was 27.
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McNamara’s report said two other officers, William Farwell, Matthew’s twin brother, and Robert Devine, also had inappropriate relationships with Birchmore. The investigation found Matthew Farwell had “multiple inappropriate physical encounters” with Birchmore and sent her sexually explicit photos while on duty.
According to the investigation, 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 also reportedly told friends she was pregnant with Farwell’s child.
No criminal charges were filed against the men, though all three resigned from the department. All three were placed on a list that documents police officers with questionable behavior, and Matthew Farwell was decertified by the state.
Was her death a homicide?
The new report commissioned by Birchmore’s estate included findings from former New York City medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden.
Baden’s report questioned the official ruling of suicide by hanging and instead suggested that the actual manner and cause of death were homicide by strangulation. He specifically cited a fractured bone in Birchmore’s neck, which he said is rarely seen in suicide cases but is seen in half of all strangulations of women.
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In a statement, McNamara responded to the report, saying the department would cooperate with additional inquiries.
“I have reviewed the findings of the outside doctor retained by Sandra’s family. I was profoundly disturbed and troubled by what I read. While I am not a trained medical examiner, and I am not qualified to draw any direct conclusions, the findings certainly warrant further examination at the highest level,” she said.
She concluded by saying that good cops must say “never again” to the sort of victimization Birchmore experienced.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
