CANTON, Mass. — The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has amended 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore’s death certificate, Boston 25 News has learned.
A spokesperson for the OCME confirmed Friday morning that Birchmore’s death certificate now lists her cause of death as asphyxia, and her manner of death as “undetermined.”
Birchmore’s original death certificate listed her cause of death as asphyxia by hanging and the manner of her death as suicide. A forensic pathologist later alleged she died by homicidal strangulation.
“As previously stated, OCME findings are based on the information available at the time of determination and may be updated if new information becomes available,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This case remains an active investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office, and the OCME cannot comment further on investigative matters at this time.”
Former Stoughton Police Department detective Matthew Farwell is accused of killing Birchmore by strangling her on February 1, 2021, and then staging her Canton apartment to make it look like a suicide after she informed him he was the father of her unborn child.
Prosecutors allege the killing was carried out to conceal the grooming and sexual abuse of Birchmore, which they say began when she was 15 years old and continued until her death.
In a court filing in March, attorneys for Farwell stated that an unidentified person is the biological father of Birchmore’s unborn child, not Farwell or his brother, who is a named defendant in a civil lawsuit.
Authorities have said that Farwell’s DNA was found on a strap that prosecutors allege was used to kill Birchmore.
Farwell recently asked to be released on $50,000 bail, while Birchmore’s family is asking a court to issue a no‑contact order against his defense team. He has also asked the judge presiding over the case to throw out some evidence.
Last week, prosecutors asked the judge to keep Farwell detained while awaiting trial, citing newly reviewed cellphone evidence they say shows he poses a danger to the community and a risk of obstruction and flight.
Farwell’s defense team has argued that Birchmore had a history of mental health struggles. They say his ties to the community support releasing him before trial.
Farwell has been in prison since August 2024, and is charged with her murder and causing the death of Birchmore’s unborn child. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
A judge will now review the arguments. His trial is scheduled for October.
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