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The murder of the co-founder of the Center for Advanced Genetics, Susann Sills, is the focus of the upcoming Dateline episode. The 45-year-old mother of twins was reportedly fatally strangled by her doctor husband, Eric Scott Sills, who staged it as an accidental fall down the stairs.
Susann had been experiencing acute migraines before her death and had been on pain medication. However, the authorities and paramedics at the scene noticed signs of struggle and blood evidence in the bedroom, while the autopsy report stated the cause of death as strangulation.
The Dateline NBC episode, titled If These Walls Could Talk, chronicles the murder of Susann Sills and airs on May 3, 2024, at 9 pm EST on NBC. The episode's synopsis reads:
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"When you find out the real story of the staircase... It really leaves you breathless."
Who was Susann Sills?
Susann Stephanie Arsuaga Sills was born in Philadelphia on July 30, 1971, to parents Theresa Linda (Lucchese) Neubauer and Miguel Jos Arsuaga. She finished her school at South Fork High School in 1989. Besides being a varsity cheerleader, she performed well in her studies and was the vice president of her class.
Sills studied at George Mason University and graduated with an MBA in International Studies from the University of Miami in 2000. Suzan Sills married Eric Scott Sills, and the couple was married for more than 10 years and had twins.
Per the New York Post, the couple founded and worked at the Center for Advanced Genetics - an IVF and infertility clinic in Carlsbad. While Susann was the managing partner, Eric Scott Sills was the institution's medical director.
Susann Sills and Dr. Scott had a strained relationship. She had posted a topless photo of herself after losing a bet, which became more reason for conflicts, per Oxygen.
What happened to Susann Sills?
Susann Sills was found unresponsive at the bottom of the staircase at the couple’s San Clemente home in November 2016. Their children were sleeping in another bedroom when Eric Scott Sills made the 911 call saying,
“We’ve got a patient here who’s fallen off the stairs and I don’t have a pulse. I think she tripped because it was dark.”
The 45-year-old mother of the twins had reportedly been sleeping in her daughter’s bedroom due to migraines and was on Valium and Tramadol on November 13, 2016.
The Orange County homicide detectives determined the cause of death to be strangulation as they found blood stains on the wall, nightstand, the couples’ clothes, and curtains in the bedroom. The New York Post reported that the authorities found a clump of Susann’s hair, which indicated a struggle.
Even though the emergency dispatchers advised Scott to perform CPR on Susann after laying her on a flat surface, she was found with her right foot resting on the lower step. The prosecutors believed that the murder was made to look like an accidental fall and that the motive behind the crime could have been marital problems and financial strain, per the East Bay Times.
While Sill's attorney argued that Susann Sills had been disoriented due to her migraines and pain medication, Eric Scott Sills was put on trial and found guilty of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison on March 15, 2024.
Catch all the details of the murder case on the Dateline episode that airs on May 3, 2024.
