Ex-Cop Who Allegedly Groomed Girl Is Accused of Killing Her — and Now, Police Say, Her Unborn Child By Christine Pelisek

​​A former Massachusetts police officer accused of killing a pregnant woman to prevent her from exposing years of grooming that allegedly started when she was a minor has been indicted in connection with the death of her unborn son. 

Matthew Farwell, 39, was charged with one count of causing the death of an unborn child, according to a United States Attorney District of Massachusetts press release.

Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer, was originally indicted in August of 2024 on accusations that he murdered 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore.

Police officers found Birchmore at her Canton, Mass., home on Feb. 4, 2021, after she didn’t show up for work. The teaching assistant was seated on the floor with a luggage strap looped around her neck and tied to a closet doorknob.

At first, her death was ruled a suicide, but investigators soon discovered that Farwell allegedly used “his authority and access as a police officer to groom and sexually abuse Birchmore, including while he was on duty, beginning when she was 15 years old and continuing until her death,” the press release states.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Prosecutors said Birchmore met Farwell at the Stoughton Police Explorers, a mentorship program where Farwell was a volunteer instructor around 2012. 

Prosecutors allege that Farwell strangled Birchmore after he discovered she was pregnant to prevent her from exposing their relationship, and then staged the scene to look like Birchmore had died by suicide.

According to prosecutors, Farwell agreed to try and impregnate Birchmore to stop her from telling people about their relationship.

“Birchmore told Farwell that she was ‘keeping it’ and ‘the birth certificate is being signed,’” prosecutors allege in the press release.

Farwell was angry, according to prosecutors, and allegedly told her that she was “the worst person on the face of the earth.”

The day of her death, prosecutors believe Farwell allegedly texted her at 9:08 p.m. asking if he could “come by for a second.” By 9:43, prosecutors believe, Birchmore was dead.

According to the indictment, Birchmore was eight to 10 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

Attorneys for Farwell could not be reached for comment.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.