Andrew Sadek | |
|---|---|
 Sadek in 2014 | |
| Born | November 22, 1993 Valley City, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Disappeared | May 1, 2014 (aged 20) Wahpeton, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | Unknown; believed to have been shortly after disappearance |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Body discovered | June 27, 2014, Breckenridge, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Known for | Unsolved death while working as a confidential informant in drug investigations |
Andrew Sadek (November 22, 1993 – c. May 1, 2014) was a student at the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) in Wahpeton, North Dakota, United States. Following a 2013 arrest for felony charges of selling marijuana that legally could have resulted in a long prison sentence,[1] Sadek agreed to work as a confidential informant (CI) for the South East Multi-County Agency Narcotics Task Force (SEMCA) in exchange for having the charges dropped. Under police supervision, he bought more marijuana from other dealers around the NDSCS campus.
Sadek was last seen leaving his dormitory on the morning of May 1, 2014. Almost two months later, his body was found in the Red River north of Breckenridge, Minnesota, adjacent to Wahpeton, with a gunshot wound to the head.[2] Although the manner of death remains undetermined, police informally indicated that they believe it was a suicide. Sadek's family believes he was murdered, citing that the backpack that was attached to his body was filled with rocks and that neither a suicide note nor the weapon used in his death was ever found.[3]
At his mother's behest, the state investigated the police handling of his case but found no serious concerns, although SEMCA did make minor changes in its procedures afterwards.[3] Sadek's parents filed a lawsuit over the case and campaigned for changes to state law that would reduce penalties for marijuana possession on college campuses and protect CIs, much like a similar statute in Florida passed after the 2008 murder of Rachel Hoffman. Those changes were made through a piece of legislation dubbed "Andrew's Law", which was passed in 2017.[4]
- ^ Nicholson, Blake (April 8, 2015). "Student's mystery death raises doubts on drug informer use". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ Glass-Moore, Adrian (January 29, 2015). "Student found dead last June quit working as confidential informant shortly before disappearing". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Simunek, Chris (February 10, 2015). "Andrew Sadek: A Life Lost Over 4.5 Grams". High Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ "Burgum signs 'Andrew's Law' for protecting confidential informants". Bismarck Tribune. April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.