Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - Who was Sabine Buehler? 

Sabine Buehler, a beloved motel owner on the Florida island of Anna Maria, disappeared mysteriously on November 4, 2008. She was last spotted leaving her Magnolia Avenue apartment at night after a heated argument with her boyfriend.

Sabine Buehler was known to be an environmentalist in the small community of Anna Maria, where she helped renovate a run-down property into an idyllic getaway in the islands and often nurtured turtles on the nearby beach. Her disappearance turned into a cold case till her killer, Bill Cumber, led the investigators to her remains on the beach in October 2015 as part of his plea deal.

The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode titled A Place on the Sand unfolds Buehler's tragic story, detailing how she was strangled to death by Bill Cumber in a dispute about his smoking habits. 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."

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Who was Sabine Buehler? Details explored

Sabine Musil Buehler was born on July 29, 1959 in Montabaur, Westerwaldkreis, Germany. She moved to the United States at age 35 with her husband, Tom Buehler, where she realised her dream of owning a motel.

The couple transformed a 50s run-down motel on 8102 Gulf Drive, close to Dr. Holmes' Beach, Florida, into an idyllic island getaway known as Haley's Motel - a mom-and-pop motel. However, her relationship with her husband began to stray over the years, and the two eventually developed a friendly dynamic similar to that of business partners.

In an interview with Oxygen, Sabine's neighbour Barbara Hines spoke highly of her as she said,

"Sabine had always been a rescuer, whether it was restoring a run-down motel to its former glory, volunteering to help the island’s turtles safely nest and breed, or giving someone often overlooked by others a second chance. Sabine never saw something that had a broken wing that she didn’t try to fix."

Buehler's friend Nancy Ambrose further added that, despite Sabine's struggle with cancer and the demanding schedule of chemotherapy, running Haley's Motel kept her occupied. Ambrose further mentioned Tom and Sabine were facing financial problems due to the recession while both were also romantically involved with other people.

Sabine Buehler grew close to one of the handyman at the motel, Bill Cumber, who had an expansive criminal past. Musil Buehler moved in with Cumber at the 200 block of Magnolia Avenue, per Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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What happened to Sabine Buehler?

The 49-year-old Sabine Buehler failed to turn up at a watch party on election night in 2008, which Nancy Ambrose was also supposed to attend. The last sighting of Sabine was on November 4, 2008, between 10:30 pm and 11:00 pm when she left her Magnolia Avenue apartment following an argument.

Her white Pontiac convertible was discovered in Bradenton with the 38-year-old Robert Corona. The man, who had an extensive auto theft background, later revealed that he found the car parked at the Gator Lounge with the keys left inside. The vehicle contained evidence of Sabine's blood and Bill Cumber's DNA in the driver's seat, as per Oxygen.

The officials had also searched the apartment after Cumber had moved out a month after Buehler's disappearance. They recorded a strong smell of a bleaching agent and blood evidence that matched Sabine's. The Manatee Sheriff's Office started building a circumstantial case suspecting Bill Cumber's involvement when they found Sabine's purse in a bush near the apartment.

Sabine Buehler's remains were later reported to the police by Bill Cumber in October 2015 as part of his 20-year plea deal. According to Bay News 9, he had buried her body approximately 3 feet deep in the sand near the beach pavilion, not far from her motel. The autopsy findings revealed that the cause of her death was strangulation.