Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - Where is Bill Cumber now?

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is set to focus on the murder of Sabine Musil-Buehler at the hands of her boyfriend and employee, Bill Cumber. The episode, titled A Place on the Sand, showcases the details behind Sabine Buehler's death through strangulation, as the synopsis reads:

"Sabine Buehler moves to an island off the coast of Florida for her own slice of paradise; when she vanishes, friends know she hasn't left on her own; finding out what happened to her leads police down a long and winding path in the sand."

Sabine Buehler's death left multiple questions unanswered, placing Bill Cumber under the spotlight. As investigations progressed, Cumber led the Manatee Sheriff's Office to Sabine's remains in October 2015.

William J Cumber III, better known as Bill Cumber, was recruited at Sabine's Haley's Motel, where he entered a romantic relationship with the owner herself. Cumber murdered Sabine in 2008 and has been serving 20 years for charges of second-degree murder.

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Who is Bill Cumber? Details explored

Bill Cumber, a man with an illustrated criminal past, met Sabine Musil-Buehler in 2006 at Haley's Motel where he was recruited as a handyman. Shortly, Cumber was arrested for arson as according to Oxygen, he had attempted to burn down the house where his ex-girlfriend lived with her children. Swayed by his charm and appearance, Sabine kept in touch with him through letters and helped him set up his workshop as a woodworker after his release.

Even though Sabine Buehler and her ex-husband, Tom Buehler, shared a friendly and professional relationship by the end of their marriage, Tom caught Sabine and Bill in one of the hotel rooms one day.

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What happened to Sabine Buehler?

Sabine and Bill started seeing each other months before Sabine's disappearance. The two had moved into their apartment on Magnolia Avenue. Sabine Buehler went missing on November 4, 2008, from her Magnolia Avenue residence where she lived with her boyfriend, Bill.

As investigations went on, Bill Cumber told the police about the argument the couple had about Cumber's smoking the night Buehler went missing. In a taped confession, Cumber spoke about his last encounter with his girlfriend:

“She encountered me and smelled the [cigarette] smoke, and we got in a little dispute about it. She said that she couldn’t do this relationship anymore.”

However, he spoke to the local media about Cumber's missing status, saying:

“I think it’s a tragedy. I think the world is missing somebody special. I feel responsible for her leaving, leaving here. As far as what happened after that, I have no idea.”

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How did Cumber kill Sabine?

Investigations revealed that Bill Cumber had struck Sabine Buehler twice in the head before suffocating her to death on November 4, 2008, the day of her disappearance.

According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Buehler's body was recovered from a shallow sandy grave in front of the pavilion on Holmes Beach, right down the street from Haley's Motel. Sabine's autopsy report from the District 12 Medical Examiner revealed extensive trauma to her body. She had seven broken ribs and her hands were tied behind her back with a ligature.

The Manatee Sheriff's Office developed a circumstantial case with blood evidence and DNA proof from the white Pontiac Sabine owned. Meanwhile, her purse recovered from a brush near their apartment was enough evidence to arrest him for second-degree murder in October 2012.

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Where is Bill Cumber now?

On October 15, 2015, Bill Cumber agreed to enter a plea deal that led officials to the skeletonized remains of Sabine Buehler. In turn, Cumber would receive 20 years in prison to which he pled no contest.

William "Bill" Cumber remains incarcerated at the South Florida Reception Center in Doral, Miami-Dade County, and will be eligible for parole in November 2030.