How did Matthew Golder die? Details explored ahead of Burden of Guilt

The upcoming three-part true-crime docuseries Burden of Guilt follows a truly shocking case of a woman who spent more than two decades believing she was responsible for her baby brother’s death. Scheduled to come out today, February 4, 2025, Burden of Guilt will take viewers back to 1971, when a 4-month-old Matthew Golder was found dead.

The baby boy was born to a married woman named Kathie Almon and her high school boyfriend, Jan Sandlin. Since she claimed he was Sandlin's child, Almon left her husband and moved with her boyfriend along with her 2-year-old daughter Tracyraquel "Tracy" Berns soon after Matthew was born.

One day, Kathie Almon left Matthew in Jan Sandlin's care and when she returned, the baby was found unconscious. The couple called the emergency, but the infant Matthew Golder had already died of injuries.

His death was immediately ruled as an accident, as Jan Sandlin and even Kathie Almon claimed that Tracy had thrown the infant from his crib. The two-year-old Tracy was often reminded of how she accidentally caused her brother's death.

These claims constantly troubled Tracy as she barely remembered the tragedy. Despite years of trauma and emotional struggle, Tracy didn't give up. After becoming a mother herself and finding a partner whose uncle was in the FBI, she was finally able to dig out the truth.

Continue reading to learn who was the actual culprit behind Matthew Golder's death.

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New docuseries Burden of Guilt tracks down the tragic murder of an infant

The new three-part crime docuseries Burden of Guilt deeply explores a tragedy from 1971, when a mother was out and left her infant baby boy in the care of her boyfriend. As she returned, the 4-month-old Matthew Golder lost his life and his two-year-old sister Tracyraquel Berns was blamed for tossing her brother off the crib.

So, was it really an accident? Shockingly, no. Jan Sandlin claimed that Tracy caused Matthew to fall from his crib, resulting in the infant's immediate death. From her mother to her grandmother, Tracy was often reminded of the incident.

Since she had no memories and was quite young, Tracy didn't question her family at that time. However, after building a stable life, Tracyraquel Berns decided to seek justice for her baby brother.

She doubted how a two-year-old could cause a fall, and her persistence led to a major breakthrough in 1997. Burden of Guilt will reveal how Tracy succeeded in convincing the authorities to reopen the case and exhume Matthew’s body for a new forensic examination.

Also Read: Dateline: Mystery At Heath Bar Farm - 5 harrowing details about Dar Foley's murder, explored

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The autopsy report confirmed Matthew Golder was murdered

Following the reinvestigation into Matthew Golder's death, the autopsy report confirmed what Tracy had always suspected. Matthew’s death was no accident, as his injuries weren’t from a fall.

In Burden of Guilt, viewers will be offered a dive into Tracy's quest and her determination to seek justice for her baby brother. The forensic reports revealed that Matthew Golder died of blunt force trauma to the head.

The worst part? Tracy's stepfather, Jan Barry Sandlin, had beaten the infant to death in a fit of rage. After killing his son, he placed Tracy into the crib to make it look like she caused the fall and the ultimate death of her brother.

Decades after Tracyraquel Berns found out the truth, Jan Sandlin was already behind bars, serving time in Florida for armed robbery. At first, he denied any wrongdoing in his infant's death, but the autopsy report proved he was the murderer.

As a result, Jan Sandlin was convicted of the crime and received two additional life sentences. As seen in the trailer of Burden of Guilt, Tracyraquel Berns could finally free herself from the trauma of getting blamed for Matthew Golder's untimely death.

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Also Read: 5 harrowing details about the murder of Rob Limon on Dateline, explored

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