Eric Sullivan

Eric Sullivan was a 20-year-old man from Fall River, Massachusetts, working to build a life for himself. Born in the city to Michael Sullivan and the late Elizabeth Theberge, he was also loved and supported by his adoptive parents, Kimberly and Michelle Landry. Eric worked as a cable services sales representative. He was part of a larger family that included his half-siblings, Zackary, Celeste, and Mickele, and his paternal grandmother, Maureen Ramsey. His life, full of potential, was cut short by a sudden act of violence in the autumn of 2008.

On the night of Wednesday, October 29, 2008, the Fall River Police Department received a call about an injured man at the intersection of Morgan Street and 5th Street. At approximately 9:30 p.m., officers arrived in the city's Corky Row neighborhood to find Eric Sullivan down and in need of urgent medical attention. He was suffering from a critical gunshot wound. First responders rushed him to Rhode Island Hospital for emergency treatment, but the injury was too severe. Eric succumbed to the gunshot wound, and his death became a homicide investigation.

The case was taken on by the Fall River Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. The initial phase of the investigation involved processing the scene at the corner of Morgan and 5th streets, a dense residential area with intersecting one-way streets. Detectives would have canvassed the neighborhood, seeking witnesses who might have seen or heard something around 9:30 p.m. that evening. However, no information about potential suspects or a motive has ever been publicly released.

In the years since Eric's murder, the investigation has remained open but has grown cold. The physical evidence from the scene yielded no immediate answers, and with no witnesses coming forward with definitive information, the case stalled. Without new leads, investigators are often left waiting for a technological advancement in forensic science that could re-energize the case, or for someone with knowledge of the crime to finally break their silence. For Eric's family, the lack of resolution means the pain of their loss is compounded by the absence of justice. His funeral Mass was held at Espirito Santo Church in Fall River, where family and friends gathered to mourn a life taken far too soon.

More than a decade has passed, and the questions surrounding Eric Sullivan’s death are as pressing as ever. Who shot him and why remains a mystery locked in the streets of Fall River. His case is one of several unsolved homicides in the city that the Bristol County District Attorney's Office continues to highlight, hoping to generate new information that could lead to a breakthrough. As of September 2024, Eric's case remains an active and open investigation.

Authorities urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. Individuals can contact Massachusetts State Police detectives at (508) 961-1918 or submit a tip through the state police unsolved case email at [email protected]. For those who wish to remain anonymous, tips can be sent by texting the word "Bristol" to the phone number CRIMES (274637). A single piece of information could be the key to bringing a killer to justice and providing long-awaited answers to Eric Sullivan's loved ones.