In 2021, 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her apartment. And what Massachusetts investigators quickly called a suicide slowly revealed itself to be something much more sinister. Because out of the woodwork came friends, family, and co-workers with stories that Sandra had told them about her life. Stories of grooming, sexual abuse, and years of misconduct at the hands of several Stoughton Police officers… which began when she was barely a teenager.

Three officers later resigned from the department. With a 2026 federal trial pending, the whole state has been left to wonder whether Sandra’s death was truly a suicide – as state police continue to maintain – or the end result of something much darker.

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Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/murdered-sandra-birchmore/

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For decades, police said Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac died via suicide by masturbation. But her family always believed there was more to Rowena’s death than met the eye. Could she have been the victim of a serial killer passing through Texas, or could her case be connected to the deaths of two other women in the area?

• If you have any information about the deaths of Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac or Melody Ann Bush, please contact the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office at (979) 968-5856 or email us at tips@audiochuck.com.
• Click HERE to view and sign Joleta’s petition asking Fayette County to change Rowena’s manner of death on her death certificate to homicide.

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Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/mysterious-death-of-rowena-wilkinson-zapalac/

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Crime Junkie is hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat.

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When a couple from Oso, Washington, is discovered missing, it doesn’t take long for detectives to develop a prime suspect. But solving the case, finding their bodies and capturing the killer took approximately 100 days, using a combination of old-school investigative methods and modern forensic tools.

• Click HERE to view the footage from SnoHawk 1’s camera, courtesy of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

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Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/murdered-patrick-shunn-and-monique-patenaude/

Did you know you can listen to this episode ad-free? Join the Fan Club! Visit https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/fanclub/ to view the current membership options and policies.

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Crime Junkie is hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat.

• Instagram: @ashleyflowers | @britprawat
• Twitter: @Ash_Flowers | @britprawat
• TikTok: @ashleyflowerscrimejunkie
• Facebook: /AshleyFlowers.AF
  

Text Ashley at 317-733-7485 to talk all things true crime, get behind the scenes updates, and more!

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