May 7, 1988. Mountainair, New Mexico. Steve Sandlin, a 21-year old rookie with the local police department, is found dead inside the station. He has been shot in the head and since the police chief pushes forward the theory that Steve’s death was either suicide or an accident, it is officially classified as “undetermined”. However, Steve’s family becomes suspicious when they discover several bags of marijuana planted inside his house and learn that Steve had recently arrested a local resident who was involved in drug dealing. Information is uncovered to suggest that Steve may have been the victim of a conspiracy involving other police officers and it would be several years before his death is reclassified as a homicide. This week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold” covers our first unsolved cold case involving the death of a police officer.

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Additional Reading:

https://unsolved.com/gallery/steve-sandlin

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Steve_Sandlin

https://www.abqjournal.com/201338/officers-death-still-a-mystery-after-25-years-2.html