A prominent forensic pathologist deemed a pregnant woman who was allegedly sexually abused by three former Massachusetts police officers died by homicide, disputing the state's previous claims the victim killed herself.
Sandra Birchmore, 23, was three months along in her pregnancy when she was found hanging in her Canton, Massachusetts, apartment in February 2021. A state medical examiner determined she died by suicide.
Birchmore's family was in disagreement with the state's finding and hired former New York City Chief Medical Examiner Michael Baden to conduct his own examination of her remains.
"I must disagree," Baden wrote in a letter dated June 18 and addressed to Birchmore's estate as part of a wrongful death lawsuit against the town of Stoughton, according to The Boston Globe.
"Ms. Birchmore did not die of suicidal hanging... The cause of Ms. Birchmore's death is 'Strangulation' and the manner of death is 'Homicide,'" he added, citing the scope of the victim's wounds and the positioning of a ligature in his determination.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara responded to the report Monday, stating in part, she 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."
Birchmore met her alleged assailants Matthew Farwell, a 38-year-old former police detective, his twin brother, former officer William Farwell, and Robert Devine, a 52-year-old former chief, in 2010, when she was 13, as part of Stoughton's Explorers program, which gives students the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement.
Farwell –– a married dad –– and Birchmore allegedly started having sex when she was 15 and he was 27. She allegedly had a sexual relationship with all three officers and announced she was expecting a baby with Farwell before she died, the Globe reported, citing the suit.
Farwell was the last known person to see Birchmore alive when he was captured on surveillance footage entering and leaving her apartment three days before she was found dead in 2021.
No charges have been filed against Birchmore's alleged attackers who have since resigned from the department and denied the allegations.
