'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAw+IA/8QAHhAAAQQCAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgEDBAYAEQUSEyL/2gAIAQEAAT8AqV2nVWvT4MBiOQco14vE4CF84ar3LS6Tef/EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAECAQE/AI//xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAEDAQE/AH//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Susann Sills, a 45-year-old businesswoman from San Clemente, California, was found dead in her house in November 2016 by her husband, Dr. Eric Scott Sills. Susann and Eric ran a successful IVF facility in California.
Dr. Sills called 911 on November 16, 2016, and told the operators that he had found his wife's body in their San Clemente home. According to NBC News, he claimed that he had found Susann Sills lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs inside their house.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, they pronounced her dead and her death was initially considered an accident. However, upon closer inspection, authorities stated that it was a murder.
Trending
CBS 48 Hours episode titled The Puzzling Death of Susann Sills explores the investigation behind the murder of Susann Sills. The episode will be released on March 22, 2025, at 10 pm EST on CBS. The episode synopsis reads:
"When the wife of a fertility doctor is found dead, the initial investigation reveals evidence consistent with an accidental fall, but other evidence points to something more sinister."
What happened to Susann Sills?
Susann Sills was born in Philadelphia on July 30, 1971, and had three siblings. The Cinemaholic reported that she and her siblings studied at South Fork High School in Florida.
She graduated high school in 1989 before joining George Mason University. Susann later enrolled at the University of Miami. She reportedly got her MBA in International Studies in 2000.
Following this, she met her future husband, Eric Scott Sills, and they started an IVF facility named the Center for Advanced Genetics, in Carlsbad, California. Susann Sills held a managerial position at the center while her husband was the fertility specialist.
The couple then got married and moved to a house in the San Clemente neighborhood. Susann then gave birth to twins, a boy named Eric Scott Sills II, and a girl named Mary Katherine Wstelle Sills.
Investigation behind the death of Susann Sills
CBS News reported that Dr. Sills called 911 on November 16, 2025, to report that his wife had fallen down the stairs and was found with her face down. Dr. Eric told the authorities that she had been suffering from a migraine throughout the week.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, they declared her dead on the scene. The death was initially considered to be an accident where Susann was believed to have tripped on the stairs and fallen to her death.
Dr. Eric also told investigators that Susann's shoe had come off on the stairs, which seemed to suggest that she woke up in the middle of the night and fell off. Authorities also found a red and white scarf beside Susann's body, according to CBS. Susann's daughter Mary revealed that her mother was wearing it the morning before her death.
When detectives searched the house, they found blood stains on the walls and curtains of Mary's bedroom. It was reported that Susann Sills had slept in Mary's room the previous night because of her mother's migraine.
Investigators also noticed that Eric was wearing a beanie on his head, and had a bruise on his forearm, along with a cut on his head. While this seemed suspicious to officers, Eric told them that he got the injuries while working on his car with his son. Susann's son Eric II told the investigators that he had heard his parents arguing early on the morning his mother was found dead.
DNA tests from the blood stains on the walls and curtains matched Eric Scott Sills' DNA. Additionally, some of the blood had DNA from both Eric and Susann Sills. CBS reported that in November 2017, Susann's cause of death was revealed to have been ligature strangulation.
Dr. Eric Sills was interrogated in August 2018 but denied any involvement in the murder of his wife.
When detectives searched Eric's office, they found a printed copy of a conversation between Susann and a man, dated August 30, 2016. The man and Susann were reportedly discussing a topless image of hers that she had posted. Though Eric denied knowing anything about the chat, they found a similar copy of the conversation on his phone.
Dr. Eric Scott Sills was arrested for his wife's murder in April 2019, according to CBS. During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Susan's facial condition seemingly showed that she had undergone physical violence. They claimed that this indicated that after a heated debate, Dr. Eric had become physically violent, leading to his wife's death.
Dr. Eric Scott Sills was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Susann Sills in December 2023. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on March 15, 2024.
Check out our other articles to know more details about other cases on CBS 48 Hours.
