On December 5, 2023, deputies from the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office responded shortly after 4 a.m. to a reported shooting at a residence on Governors Estate Drive near Dublin in Elizabethtown. The response followed a family gathering during which 35-year-old Sandra Sanchez was shot; the initial investigation indicates her 57-year-old father, Enrique Sanchez Rodriquez Sr., shot his daughter. An altercation during the event also left Rodriquez shot, and both died at the scene.

Authorities are treating the case as domestic-related and have not released additional details about what led to the shooting or who fired the shot that struck Rodriquez. Sandra is survived by her mother, Veronica Sanchez of Elizabethtown, and three brothers: Enrique Sanchez of Charlotte, Omar Sanchez of Fayetteville, and Martin Sanchez of Japan. A memorial service for Sandra was held December 15, 2023, at Bladen-Gaskins Funeral Home.

Has anyone who attended the gathering or who knew the family come forward with information that could help clarify the sequence of events?