Night Watch: Sandra Birchmore Part 1

Summary

Crime House Daily – Night Watch: Sandra Birchmore, Part 1

Host: Katie Ring
Date: November 17, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Crime House Daily’s Night Watch begins a deep dive into the tragic and controversial case of Sandra Birchmore, a young woman from Stoughton, Massachusetts, whose death was officially ruled a suicide in 2021—but under circumstances her family and supporters have never accepted as straightforward. Host Katie Ring explores Sandra’s difficult upbringing, her bond with law enforcement, a years-long grooming and abuse by her mentor in the police force, and the suspicious aftermath of her death—shedding light on alleged corruption, cover-ups, and ongoing demands for justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Setting: Introducing Sandra Birchmore’s Case

• The episode draws parallels between Sandra Birchmore’s case and the Karen Reed case—both took place in Canton, MA, involved alleged police corruption, and gained attention thanks to social media and relentless family advocacy. (00:39)
• Sandra Birchmore, 23, was found dead in February 2021. She was pregnant, and her death was quickly ruled a suicide by hanging—a conclusion her family disputes. (01:18–01:29)

Sandra’s Upbringing & Early Life

• Sandra’s childhood was marked by adversity: her mother Denise was widowed young, chronically ill, and Sandra grew up quickly, helping care for her mother and managing a tight household budget. (03:40–05:20)
• Despite poverty and bullying at school, Sandra was characterized as "having an amazing outlook, a huge heart, and would do anything for the people she cared about." (~04:40)
• Raised with support from her great aunt and uncle (who she viewed as her grandparents), Sandra also found solace in programs run by the Stoughton Police Department.

Police Explorers Program: Opportunity Turned Nightmare

• Sandra joined the Police Explorers program aged 12, run by Stoughton police, especially drawn by the structure, camaraderie, and the encouragement of positive male role models. (05:35–07:00)
• Her mentor was Officer Matthew Farwell, who began overseeing Sandra’s development and schooling.

Notable Quote – On Predatory Behavior

"Predators will usually choose positions and careers that will put them in proximity to children as trusted adults, and they will target at risk kids from broken homes who crave love and attention. And unfortunately, Sandra fit the profile perfectly."
—Katie Ring (03:55)

Aspirations & Setbacks

• After high school Sandra briefly entered the Army Reserves, then pivoted to studying criminal justice locally when her undisclosed asthma led to her being released from the army.
• In 2016, at age 18, tragedy struck: her mother died suddenly from a stroke, and her grandmother died shortly after. Sandra was left devastated but finished her degree, hoping to enter law enforcement. She was repeatedly rejected from police jobs, further impacting her mental health. (07:00–10:25)

Adult Life and New Direction

• By late 2020, Sandra found work as a teacher’s assistant and began courses to become a nurse. She seemed happy: her own apartment, supportive colleagues, and a newfound joy when she discovered she was pregnant. (11:00–12:25)
• But: The father was Matthew Farwell—her childhood police mentor, who was now married with children.

Grooming, Abuse, and Corruption Exposed

• The sexual relationship began when Sandra was 15 and Matthew was 25—illegal under Massachusetts law (the age of consent is 16).
• Farwell, under the guise of mentorship, groomed Sandra over years—initiating sexual abuse, manipulating her emotionally, pushing violent rape fantasies, and controlling her life with threats and surveillance. (13:25–16:50a)
• He forced Sandra to keep the relationship secret, threatened her, and reacted with rage and threats when she became pregnant. When Sandra demanded acknowledgment and involvement (birth certificate, child support, shared holidays), he became abusive. (19:10–21:18)

Notable Quote – On Grooming and Abuse

"Matthew first met Sandra in the Police Explorers program when she was 12 and he was 25. He took an interest in her immediately and posed as her mentor. But his intentions with Sandra were much darker than that, and in reality, his mentorship was just a cover for the fact that he was grooming her."
—Katie Ring (12:59)

Memorable Message Example

"Will you say, Matt, stop? I'm 13. I'm not ready for this. OMFG, please stop."
—Matthew Farwell, from text messages to Sandra (15:55)

Domestic Threats & Institutional Failure

• Farwell grew increasingly violent and controlling as Sandra asserted herself.
• In January 2021, after news of the illicit relationship was reported by a friend to Stoughton PD, instead of opening an investigation, department employees tipped off Farwell—directly contravening legal and ethical protocols, and evidencing corrupt protection of one of their own. (21:18–22:25)

Sandra’s Final Weeks & Mysterious Death

• Farwell continued to vacillate between abuse and kindness, attempting to regain Sandra’s secrecy and access to her apartment.

• On February 1st, 2021, Farwell visited Sandra at her apartment—for approximately 28 minutes, avoiding security cameras and wearing a medical mask, an unusual choice for him. Shortly after, he went to be with his wife in labor at the hospital. Sandra was never seen alive again. (23:29–25:00)

• Days later, after missed work, police found Sandra dead in her apartment. Details of the scene were suspicious:

  • The apartment was in disarray, as if someone had been searching for something
  • The bathroom (unlike the rest) was immaculate
  • Sandra’s body was arranged in a partial hanging, with her feet on the ground
  • No defensive wounds or clear struggle—noted, but family skepticism was immediate (25:10–26:30)

• Despite her making active future plans (preparing for the baby, celebrating milestones, excited social media posts), authorities ruled her death a suicide and closed the case. Her family remains adamant there was a cover-up, designed to protect Farwell and police colleagues. (26:30–27:56)

Notable Quote – On Institutional Complicity

"Everyone knows the last thing you should do if you get a call like this is tell the man who is being accused of this crime. The employee should have reported him immediately, but as we all know, police in Massachusetts have a tendency to cover for their own."
—Katie Ring (21:54)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the failure of the system:
  "But the sad reality is that far too often the people who are supposed to protect us end up being the ones who cause the most harm."
  —Katie Ring (03:47)

• On Sandra’s tenacity:
  "But Sandra has pushed through adversity before and she knows that neither of them would want her to give up on her dreams."
  —Katie Ring (09:40)

• On the relationship's power dynamic:
  "For over a decade, Matthew held all of the power in the relationship. But they both knew that if the full details of their relationship came out, Matthew's life would be destroyed. And Sandra holds all of the cards."
  —Katie Ring (17:57)

• On the suspicious death investigation:
  "It just didn’t make sense. Plus, they knew about this mystery father who was married and not excited about this baby in the slightest. It doesn’t make sense to them that Sandra would do this."
  —Katie Ring (26:30)

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Timeline & Timestamps for Key Segments

• Sandra's Background and Family History: 03:40–05:20
• Joining the Police Explorers and Meeting Farwell: 05:35–07:00
• Mother and Grandmother Both Die – Sandra Alone: 07:50–09:40
• Continued Rejection from Police Departments: 09:40–10:25
• Sandra Finds New Purpose, Gets Pregnant: 11:00–12:25
• Grooming and Abuse by Farwell: 12:59–16:50
• Blackmail and Pregnancy Ultimatum: 17:57–19:50
• Police Failures and Cover-up Examples: 21:18–22:25
• Sandra’s Last Days and Death: 23:29–27:56

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Conclusion & Next Steps

Part 1 of this Night Watch deep dive into the Sandra Birchmore case lays out a harrowing account of a young woman persistently mistreated by both individuals and institutions meant to protect her. The official verdict on her 2021 death remains suicide, but layers of abuse, corruption, and unanswered questions persist, largely due to the courage of her family and a growing movement to uncover the truth. The episode ends by inviting listeners to share their thoughts, as Crime House Daily promises further coverage and analysis in upcoming nights.

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For further details, developments, and continuing coverage, subscribe to Crime House Daily and follow @CrimeHouseDaily on social media.

Transcript

[Katie Ring]

Hi, it's Katie. I'm excited to let you know that you can watch video episodes of Crime House Daily Night Watch on Spotify. It's the same gripping true crime stories you've been getting here now with added videos and photos that give you even more depth and detail into each case. Search Night Watch on Spotify and hit follow so you never miss an episode.

[Advertisement Voice]

This is Crime House.

[Katie Ring]

If you thought the details of the investigation into Karen Reed were wild, you're going to want to buckle up for the next five nights because we are diving deep into the case of Sandra Birchmore. This case also took place in Canton, Massachusetts, also involved widespread police corruption, also resulted in an FBI investigation and was also about to slide under the radar until her family's fight for justice, coverage from a true crime podcast and viral social media videos thrusted her case into the spotlight. So without further ado, let's get into it.

[Narrator 1]

In the Sandra Birchmore case, a Stoughton woman who died under suspicious circumstances three years ago. Now, her death was ruled a suicide, but her family has never believed that.

[Narrator 2]

The 23 year old died in 2021. Her death ruled suicide by hanging by the office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She was pregnant at the time.

[Narrator 1]

It was a suicide.

[Katie Ring]

Could she actually do that? Or did somebody have a part in this? Wow, you thought that?

[Podcast Promo Host]

Yeah.

[Narrator 2]

It didn't add.

[Crime House Daily Host]

Hi, I'm Katie Ring, a true crime analyst, self defense instructor and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion. Every weekday morning and night here at Crime House Daily, we dig into the true crime stories making headlines right now, where justice is unfolding, arrests are happening, and new evidence is emerging.

[Katie Ring]

Every morning, First Watch gets you up.

[Crime House Daily Host]

To speed on the biggest cases. Every night, Night Watch takes you deeper. If you want to follow a case from the first 911 call to the final verdict, this is the place for you. Follow Crime House Daily wherever you get your podcasts, leave a review and for ad free listening, subscribe to Crime House.

[Katie Ring]

Plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Crime House Daily Host]

For video, check out our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily or on Spotify by searching Night Watch True Crime Cases Daily in the Search tab. This episode discusses active criminal cases in breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence, so everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

[Advertisement Voice]

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[Katie Ring]

If you were a single mom raising a child on your own, you may think that something like a Police Explorers program could be an amazing opportunity. It would give them structure, expose them to positive male role models, keep them out of trouble, and possibly even lead to a career. But the sad reality is that far too often the people who are supposed to protect us end up being the ones who cause the most harm. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened in the case of Sandra Birchmore. As a self defense instructor and someone who talks a lot about child predators and how to keep your children safe, one thing I tell parents is that child predators come in all shapes, sizes and sexes. But the one thing almost all of them have in common is are their tactics. Predators will usually choose positions and careers that will put them in proximity to children as trusted adults, and they will target at risk kids from broken homes who crave love and attention. And unfortunately, Sandra fit the profile perfectly. Her mother, Denise, had a lot of struggles of her own. She became a widow at just 31 years old when her husband was killed by a truck. Two years later she gets pregnant and Sandra is born on May 13, 1997 in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Sadly, her birth father does not want to be involved in her life and Denise becomes a single mom. Growing up without a father is hard enough, but Sandra's mother is also chronically ill. Throughout her childhood. One of Sandra's cousins said, I don't remember a day when she wasn't sick with something. Denise's illnesses were so bad that she couldn't work, which meant Sandra had to grow up fast to help manage their tight budget and help her mom stay on track with her medications. But despite having a very difficult life from the moment she was born and being bullied in school, Sandra has an amazing outlook, a huge heart, and would do anything for the people she cared about. Two of the main things that kept her grounded and supported her through all of this chaos was were her grandparents, who were technically her great aunt and uncle, but Sandra didn't find that out until later in life. But regardless of the official relationship, Sandra's great aunt plays the role of her grandma. She shows her unconditional love and provides her with everything she is able to to make sure Sandra was well taken care of. She was there for every birthday and holiday, always getting her special gifts to make sure she never felt left out. As Sandra grows up, the second place she finds comfort in her life is with the Stoughton Police Department. In 2006, when Sandra is 8 or 9, she and her mother start attending a program called Strengthening Families, which is meant to support at risk children and families. For three months, Sandra and Denise go to weekly meetings to work on communicating and handling tough situations. The Strengthening Families program was put together by oasis, which is an organization of community leaders co founded by Stoughton PD's Director of Community Policing, Robert Devine. The police department is trying to build up trust between the community and the police after a number of scandals rocked the department. And Devine clearly makes an impact on Sandra because when he advertises his local chapter of the Police Explorers Program, a training program for kids interested in law enforcement careers, she begs her mom to let her sign up. Sandra idolizes the police in her town, and the thought of getting to fight on the side of the law is intriguing, especially because she was being bullied in school. Kids at school make fun of Sandra, saying that she smells bad, that she doesn't have any friends, and that she sucks up to teachers too much, feeling like she doesn't belong anywhere. Sandra is desperate to join the Police Explorers program, and after her 12th birthday, her mom finally lets her sign up. After joining, she feels like things are starting to turn around. She's making friends, stepping up to new challenges, pushing herself physically despite struggling with asthma, and she's being mentored by police officers that she respects. One of those officers was a man named Matthew Farwell, who guides Sandra, helps Sandra with her homework, and gives advice about her home life. Sandra has finally found an outlet with the Explorers, and she takes her work incredibly seriously, quickly becoming a leader in the group. After she graduates high school, Sandra doesn't want to give up that feeling of belonging, so she signs up for the Army Reserves. She also believes it will look good on her resume when she becomes a police officer. But unfortunately, her time in the reserves doesn't last long. She didn't disclose her asthma, and when they learn about it, she gets kicked out. But Sandra's not giving up, and she pivots to studying criminal justice at a local community college. Things are really looking up. But on the morning of May 7, 2016, a week before Sandra's 19th birthday, tragedy strikes. Sandra's Mother Denise has a stroke and dies two weeks later. Amidst her grief, Sandra is hit with another sledgehammer. While Sandra is planning her mother's funeral, her grandmother is hospitalized and passes away. Just a month later, Sandra is lost and absolutely devastated. The two most important people to her in the world have both been taken from her. But Sandra has pushed through adversity before and she knows that neither of them would want her to give up on her dreams. So she finishes her degree in criminal justice and starts looking for opportunities that could lead to a job at a police department. But despite the experience she has from the police Explorers program, the police don't hire her. They criticize her and say that when she goes on ride alongs at a local department, she is too chatty and too flirty and that she just seems lonely and is more focused on building relationships than a career. She applies to other departments, but each time she's either rejected, placed low on the eligible candidate list, or told that she's not commanding enough to make the cut. All of the rejection takes a huge toll on her and Sandra's mental health starts to rapidly decline. She also tells friends that she's in a relationship, but they have never met the guy and from everything they've heard, it doesn't seem healthy or or stable. Her family becomes concerned, so two of her aunts move into her childhood home to help her. But things only get worse when the three of them have a blow up argument over the idea of selling the house. However, in late 2020, the 23 year old's life finally seems to stabilize. Sandra discovers a new passion. She wants to pursue something that is in alignment with her passion for helping others. And she gets a job as a teacher's assistant while taking classes to become a nurse. She also moves into her own place and gets some good news that she believes will change her life in the most incredible way. But there is one person who is not so happy when he hears the news. Between the death of both her mom and grandma and not landing her dream job of becoming a police officer, Sandra Birchmore has trouble moving on. But by late 2020, she's fighting through it and finds an exciting new path for herself. Sandra realizes that a future in law enforcement may not pan out. So she pivots again and thinks that maybe she could help kids like her as a teacher or a nurse. So Sandra gets a job as a teacher's assistant at East Elementary School in Sharon, Massachusetts, moves into her first apartment and gets a kitten to help her mom's cat that she inherited be less lonely at school, Sandra is popular with her students and gets along well with her co workers, even if they say she has a tendency to overshare. That was just Sandra being Sandra. Sandra posts a lot on social media, and she constantly texts friends and family about what's going on in her life. In an interview, her cousin joked that Sandra couldn't eat a sandwich without posting about it. For the first time in her life, everything seems to be going well, especially when she gets some exciting news. She's pregnant. Sandra's overjoyed. This is her opportunity to build a family, one without the issues she dealt with as a kid. But there's just one hitch. When she tells a father the news, he is enraged and makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with this baby. Which is not too surprising given the fact that the man she believes is the father is none other than her old mentor, Officer Matthew Farwell. Matthew is already married with two kids, and his wife is also pregnant with a third on the way. Matthew has been hiding a sinister secret, one that could not only blow up his family, but could blow up his entire life. Matthew first met Sandra in the Police Explorers program when she was 12 and he was 25. He took an interest in her immediately and posed as her mentor. But his intentions with Sandra were much darker than that, and in reality, his mentorship was just a cover for the fact that he was grooming her. When Sandra was 15, Matthew started spending time with her outside of the program. He would often show up at the library saying he was there to make sure she was being a good girl and keeping up with her school and homework. Things started getting a little more personal on October 28, 2012, when Matthew sent Sandra a friend request on Facebook. They started messaging each other frequently, and Matthew started to push the boundaries between them. According to investigators, Matthew and Sandra had sex for the first time six months later, when she was still 15. The age of consent in Massachusetts is 16, meaning Matthew committed felony statutory rape. However, Matthew never planned on actually having a relationship with Sandra. He was simply taking advantage of an extremely vulnerable young girl and using her to play out his sick fantasies. And just one month after taking Sandra's virginity, Matthew got married to his fiance. But unsurprisingly, Matthew continues cheating on his fiance and keeps grooming Sandra for years, promising that he loved her and that he'd eventually leave his wife for her. In hindsight, some of Sandra's friends realized that the stability she thought she felt in the Police Explorers program likely came because of the attention and what she believed to be love that she was receiving from Matthew. After Sandra left the Police Explorers program, Matthew kept his grip on her even as he started having kids with his wife. Matthew would constantly ask Sandra to play out his violent fantasies, including rape, strangulation, other violent acts, and ask her to pretend to be a minor again. One example is found in text messages where he instructs her to act as if he were her older brother coming into her room at night to have sex with her. In another instance, he asks her, quote, will you say, Matt, stop? I'm 13. I'm not ready for this. OMFG, please stop. During sex, he also calls her to have sex regularly while he's on patrol, including in his squad car, which is illegal. But even though he was off living his own life, Matthew wouldn't let Sandra enjoy the same freedom. He was physically and emotionally abusive. According to one of Sandra's friends, Matthew was incredibly controlling over their relationship. He would get furious when Sandra had any other sexual partners and lash out at her frequently. When Matthew was angry, he would block her on his phone until she apologized, and he would force her to keep her location tracking turned on to stop her from hiding things from him. Sandra was groomed for so long that through it all, she believed Matthew when he said he loved her and that he would one day leave his wife for her. But that all changes in October 2020, when Sandra finds out that Matthew's wife is pregnant with their third baby. Sandra starts telling people about her relationship with Matthew the first time they'd had sex. Matthew's controlling behavior and his threats to keep her from telling anyone. Sandra knows things had to change between her and Matthew, and her first inclination is to reach out to Matthew's wife and tell her everything. She even drafts a note to send her. She writes, quote, I'm just messaging to inform you that your husband Matthew has been out cheating on you since before you guys were even married. But Sandra doesn't end up sending it and instead decides to do something else. For over a decade, Matthew held all of the power in the relationship. But they both knew that if the full details of their relationship came out, Matthew's life would be destroyed. And Sandra holds all of the cards. She has ample evidence of their relationship ever since she was 15. Dozens of messages between them confirming they had sex when Sandra was underage and that Matthew had been working during many of their hookups. So Sandra decides to leverage that to get something she'd always wanted. A baby. That day, she finds out about Matthew's wife's pregnancy. She texts him with an ultimatum. If he doesn't have unprotected sex with her to conceive a baby, she'll go public with the details of their relationship. Matthew is furious, but he also feels like he has to go along with what Sandra wanted. He agrees to have unprotected sex only once, but Sandra says it needs to happen multiple times. They stick to Sandra's ovulation schedule and just after Christmas, she finds out she's pregnant. She is over the moon about this news and even makes a poster board celebrating it. But Matthew does not want this baby. She tells him he doesn't have to be a full time dad. But she does demand a few things. One, she says he needs to sign the birth certificate, which is something she wished her own father had done. Two, she wants him to pay child support. And three, she wants him to celebrate holidays with her and the child. It doesn't have to be on the exact day, but it has to be within a few days of the holiday. Matthew becomes even more angry and says no, but Sandra responds with more threats. If he wasn't going to sign her certificate, he wouldn't be signing the one for his wife's baby either. Matthew responds by saying, quote, you are truly the worst person on the face of the earth. But he's still not done with her. According to the Massachusetts State Police, Matthew comes over to Sandra's place shortly after she finds out she was pregnant. The two apparently have a blow up fight that gets so nasty, Sandra has to kick Matthew out of the apartment. And the last thing he tells Sandra as he walks out the door is, I wish you were dead. By late 2020, Sandra Birchmore has been under Matthew Farwell's thumb for almost a decade. But she realizes that the scandal of their relationship actually puts all of the cards in her hands and she wants to finally take control. But given Matthew's record of abuse, it's no surprise that he doesn't like this. And he starts to get even scarier than ever. After their latest fight, she writes to him, quote, it made me really uncomfortable and stressed out and scared when you were next to me because I thought you were going to hit me. I know you wouldn't, but it still scared me. Sandra later recounts the argument to a friend, confiding that Matthew had put her in a headlock and ripped her phone out of her hand when they fought. It's clear to everyone in Sandra's life that Matthew is dangerous and a lot of them try and get her to cut off contact with him, or at least stop putting pressure on him to be involved in the baby's life for her own safety. One of her friends even tells her that this is how you end up on Dateline. But Sandra is not swayed. She'd had to settle for a deeply imperfect life for so long, and it feels like she's close to getting what she wanted. And all she needed to do was convince Matthew to choose her. But although Matthew had promised her this before, it was all a lie. Which became especially clear on January 20, 2021, when Matthew texts her in a rage and writes, quote, dude, your friend called my work. Sandra, wtf? You told me that no one knew about us, yet she claimed we are having sex. One of Sandra's friends did in fact call and told a Stoughton PD employee everything about what Matthew had been doing to Sandra for years personally. Besides a police officer using his position of power to groom and rape a young girl, this was the first instance of police corruption in this case. Everyone knows the last thing you should do if you get a call like this is tell the man who is being accused of this crime. The employee should have reported him immediately, but as we all know, police in Massachusetts have a tendency to cover for their own. Not only did the employee tell Matthew the details, they even disclosed the caller's name, and he became furious and told the employee not to speak to anyone about this. Afterward, Matthew lashes out at Sandra about the call and writes, quote, I literally can't believe this is even real life. Like, what else do I have to worry about now? Which other friend will do something tomorrow? But then he seems to have a change in attitude. A few days later, Matthew shows up at Sandra's apartment. He's not mad like she was expecting. He's being incredibly sweet. He brings Sandra a ginger ale to help with her nausea, and he says he's ready to move forward with her as long as she continues to keep their relationship a secret. He even asks if he can have a key to her apartment, something he had previously said no to. Sandra feels like they're finally turning a corner and tells her friend that the unexpected visit was good, but Matthew did something odd when he visited that she can't quite figure out. He spent a lot of time checking.

[Podcast Promo Host]

Out her bedroom closet and her bathroom.

[Katie Ring]

But she ignores it because Matthew did seem genuine about being more involved in the baby's life. And a few days later, he even asks if he can have the code to Sandra's building. However, he makes sure that it was just the general code given to every tenant, not the one specifically assigned to her. Sandra's too busy making arrangements for the baby's birth to notice anything odd about it. She's choosing baby names, booking out a newborn photo shoot months in advance, ordering things for the baby, and getting someone to look after her cats for when she is in labor. And the thing she is most excited about was the big pregnancy announcement she is planning for Valentine's Day. She can't wait to reveal her pregnancy to all of her friends and family, but she never gets the chance. On February 1, 2021, a winter storm settles over the Northeast. Sandra's school closes early and she heads back to her apartment to hunker down for a few days. She texts Matthew that she wants him to buy clothes for the baby once they know the gender, but Matthew doesn't respond directly to the request. However, he does ask if he can come by for a second. Sandra says yes and tells him that she'll leave the door open for him. Around 9:15pm, Matthew arrives at Sandra's building. Surveillance footage shows him typing in the code wearing a black hoodie and an N95 mask to cover his face, which is interesting considering he made a fuss about wearing the mask during COVID so it seems like an intentional effort to disguise his face. He also seems to be avoiding all of the cameras. Matthew leaves about 28 minutes later and heads straight to the hospital to be with his wife, who is in labor. When school starts up again three days later, Sandra doesn't show up to work and her phone is going straight to voicemail. Sandra never misses school, and her co workers are concerned that something bad happened, especially since Sandra hasn't been shy about the pregnancy and she had also told one of her co workers that if she died, it was her boyfriend who did it. So the school asks the police to conduct a welfare check. They get a spare key to Sandra's apartment from the property manager and open the door. As they enter the apartment, they hear Sandra's cats meowing loudly and the smell of a decomposing body hits them in the face. When you open Sandra's apartment door, it leads into the kitchen and the hallway, and things are strewn everywhere. As they continue into the living room, the scene is the same. There is trash everywhere and boxes are dumped onto the couch and floor. But there is something odd about the mess. It almost seems like someone was looking for something through the living room. They enter the bathroom, which is in complete contrast to the mess outside and is perfectly organized, which is another thing that is a bit odd. Why would someone so messy have such an organized bathroom? But they continue and as they push open Sandra's bedroom door, they find her body slumped over with her feet facing them and a duffel bag strap tied around her neck. Since Sandra's body is in contact with the ground, it's considered a partial suspension hanging, which occurs when the body isn't fully suspended, for example, when part of the person's body like knees, feet or buttocks are still touching the ground bed or another surface. In contrast to a complete suspension, meaning the body is fully hanging with no contact with the ground or other support. Canton police rule it a suicide at the scene. They cite that there are no dents or scuffs on the wall, no drag marks, no sign of a struggle, and no defensive wounds. However, Sandra's family isn't sold. Sandra was extremely excited about this pregnancy and was making plans for the future. It just didn't make sense. Plus, they knew about this mystery father who was married and not excited about this baby in the slightest. It doesn't make sense to them that Sandra would do this. But when the medical examiner's office rules it a suicide, the case is dropped by the police and the DA's office. But there were still pieces of evidence that didn't line up and Sandra's family refused to give up on her. They believed that this is a massive cover up in an effort to protect one of their own. What did you think of today's cases? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, subscribe to our.

[Crime House Daily Host]

YouTube channel @Crime House Daily and follow us on social media rimehouse24.7 for real time updates because the pursuit of justice never stops.

[Podcast Promo Host]

Looking for your next Crime House listen? Don't miss Crimes of with Sabrina Deanna Roga and Corinne Vien. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from crimes of the Paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. Their first season is Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. And coming up next is Crimes of the Paranormal, real life cases where the line between the living and the dead gets seriously blurry. Listen to Crimes of every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.