Description:
Sandra Birchmore was 23, pregnant, and alone when she was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment in 2021. Her death was ruled a suicide. That might have been the end of it—until federal investigators got involved. What they uncovered changed everything.
Prosecutors now say Sandra was groomed and exploited for years by Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell—who met her when she was just 13 through the department’s Explorer Program. Farwell is now federally indicted for her murder. But this case isn’t just about one man. It’s about a culture that allowed a predator to operate in plain sight, inside a structured, youth-focused law enforcement program, with little oversight and no accountability.
In this episode, retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—former Chief of the Bureau’s Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—joins us to break down exactly how predators like Farwell use the uniform as camouflage. He explains how authority figures manipulate young victims, how predators test boundaries through secrecy and personalization, and how organizations with rigid hierarchy and internal loyalty often become enablers without realizing it.
We talk about Sandra’s need for structure, the illusion of safety the Explorer program promised, and how that trust was twisted into a years-long pattern of abuse, isolation, and control. Robin also explores why no one intervened, how grooming often hides behind “mentorship,” and why even well-meaning departments fail to see the warning signs—until it's too late.
This is the story of one victim. But it's also a warning for every community. Because when predators wear badges, the danger isn’t just what they do—it’s who helps them get away with it.
#SandraBirchmore #RobinDreeke #PredatorsInUniform #LawEnforcementAbuse #ExplorerProgram #FBIBehavioralAnalysis #HiddenKillersPodcast #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #InstitutionalFailure
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