Why was Elizabeth Sullivan murdered? Dateline NBC case details explored

The mysterious disappearance of Elizabeth Sullivan on October 13, 2014, shook the community in San Diego, as a state-wide manhunt ensued for the next two years. The remains of the Navy wife surfaced after two years at the San Diego Bay, leaving multiple questions unanswered.

In an attempt to solve a case gone cold, officers from the San Diego Police Department tracked the crime back to Elizabeth's U.S. Navy service member husband, Matthew Sullivan, which led to his sentence of 16 years to life in prison. Elizabeth Sullivan was found with broken facial bones and over five stab wounds.

The Dateline NBC episode, titled Secrets by the Bay, offers a synopsis of the Elizabeth Sullivan murder, as it reads,

"A San Diego mother suddenly vanishes in 2014; nearly two years later, her body is found in the San Diego Bay, but medical examiners say she has only been dead for a month or two."

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Who was Elizabeth Sullivan? Details explored

Elizabeth "Liz" Ricks Sullivan was a U.S. Navy wife and mother of two living in Liberty Station, San Diego, California, with her partner, Matthew Sullivan. Elizabeth met Matthew in Virginia, where he was stationed in the Navy. Shortly after, the two got married in 2010 and moved to San Diego.

The couple were parents to their two daughters when Elizabeth Sullivan was allegedly last spotted in her Point Loma neighbourhood residence on October 13, 2014, according to NBC 7 San Diego.

However, she was reportedly spotted again in an area near Lindbergh Field, close to the San Diego International Airport, on October 21, 2014. What ensued was a manhunt for Liz Sullivan, which was joined in by her father, Edward Ricks, from Virginia, over the next two years. Edward Ricks spoke to NBC 7 San Diego saying,

"It can happen to you. When it does, it gets very personal, and it takes on a whole new light when it happens to you. You get a strength like you never had before because that's my daughter and I'm bringing her home."

A Facebook page with the name Missing: Navy Wife and Mother Liz Ricks-Sullivan was set up to aid the search for the missing Liz Sullivan.

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What happened to Elizabeth Sullivan?

After nearly two years of looking for her, a body had washed ashore on the San Diego Bay on October 4, 2016. The decomposed body was reported to the San Diego Police Department by a civilian and was found near the shoreline at Farragut Road near NTC Park.

The body was confirmed to be Elizabeth's on December 7, 2016. Autopsy reports came in with five stab wounds, broken and nicked ribs, and a broken nose and jaw.

Following the discovery of a series of calls made to 911 from the Sullivan household on the day of Liz Sullivan's disappearance, the history of domestic violence in the marriage became apparent.

Further, a search of the Liberty Station house revealed the murder weapon stored under the attic insulation. Forensic tests established that the blood in the carpets and wooden floor in Liz Sullivan's bedroom matched the victim's.

Over time, Matthew became the primary suspect in the case, as he was also found to have purchased carpet cleaner the day after Elizabeth Sullivan's disappearance. He was sentenced on March 12, 2021, and presently remains incarcerated at the North Kern State Prison in Delano, California.