According to Mathew Nielsen, the chief of police at the Canandaigua Police Department, none of the approximately 30 officers from his department had spoken to the family before Sam’s passing. He mentioned that there might be some confusion regarding which law enforcement agency the family had contacted for wellness checks. The phone number the family claimed to have called matched the CPD’s office number. Additionally, the family provided NBC News with a screenshot of their call log. The Ontario County Department of Social Services did not respond to immediate requests for comment.
Linda Nordquist revealed that her son had departed her residence in Oakdale, Minnesota, in September to visit his former partner, Precious Arzuaga, who resided at Patty’s Lodge, a motel in Canandaigua, New York. The pair had met online several months prior and were in constant communication. However, Arzuaga is now one of five suspects in Nordquist’s homicide case.
Nordquist decided to return home to Minnesota in early October but did not arrive or respond to messages. Concerned, Linda requested a wellness check with the police. Following this, she received a call from Sam and Arzuaga, assuring her that everything was fine and that Sam wanted to remain to work on their relationship. However, Linda noticed a change in Sam’s behavior during their infrequent calls in the following months.
Subsequently, Linda received an alarming email from the Ontario County Department of Social Services on December 4, indicating that Sam was working with them and wanted to contact her. According to Linda, the DSS informed her that Sam desired to come back home and was devising an “escape plan” from Arzuaga’s control. Despite an appointment on December 19 at the DSS office that Sam missed, Linda remained concerned for his safety.
After a text message from Sam on January 31, followed by silence, Linda and her daughter, Kayla, requested another wellness check from the police on February 9. However, Arzuaga’s son reportedly denied knowing Nordquist when the police visited the motel room. Arzuaga informed authorities that she and Nordquist had separated a few weeks before. Unconvinced by the conflicting stories, Linda and Kayla approached the New York State Police Troop E to file a missing person’s report, but were met with reluctance from a state trooper.
The family remains determined to seek justice and answers in the wake of Sam’s mysterious disappearance.
“Trooper Lynnea N. Crane, a spokesperson for Troop E, said in a statement on Thursday that the “New York State Police extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Sam Nordquist during this difficult time” and “understand the family’s grief and frustration.” “In this case, the New York State Police did not decline to file a missing person’s report,” she said. “Upon receiving concerns about Mr. Nordquist’s whereabouts, we took appropriate investigative steps.”
‘Mom’s here. Mom’s looking.’ The mother and daughter then went to their local police in Oakdale, Minnesota, to file a national missing person’s report, they said. That prompted police to investigate, they said.
They wondered if his identity as a trans person played a role in law enforcement’s response.”When I called, I said ‘my transgender brother,’ they knew that. So either they didn’t conduct this wellness check because of him being transgender,” Kayla Nordquist said. “Or I’m thinking because he’s transgender people are like, ‘Oh, he’s transgender, which makes him a man so he should man up.'”
At a news conference last week, New York State Police Capt. Kelly Swift called Sam’s homicide “one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated” in her 20-year career in law enforcement. “Sam was subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death,” Swift said at the news conference. “His body was then transported in an attempt to conceal the crime.”
Despite not hearing from him, Linda Nordquist said she had no indication that her son might be dead. Before receiving the news, she was waiting for her next paycheck to travel to Canandaigua and find him. “We were going to get blow horns and drive up and down the streets. I made 300 copies of flyers. We were going to put a flier on every door, every business, go door to door if we had to,” she said through tears. “Because if something was happening or if Sam was to a point where he couldn’t go home or whatever, at least Sam could possibly hear my voice and know: ‘Mom’s here. Mom’s looking.'”
