Five years ago, Theresa Neubauer received a shocking phone call at work informing her that her son-in-law, prominent fertility doctor Scott Sills, had been arrested on suspicion of murdering her daughter, Susann Sills. Susann’s body was found at the bottom of a staircase in the couple’s home in California in 2016, and Neubauer had believed it to be a tragic accident up until that point. She viewed Sills as a grieving widower and had no inkling of any nefarious intentions. However, during Sills’ murder trial last year, the prosecutor claimed there was a violent struggle that ended with Sills strangling his wife and staging her body on the staircase. Sills was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
On the morning of Susann’s death, Sills called 911 reporting that he had found his wife’s body at the bottom of the stairs in their home. Neubauer recalled Sills mentioning hearing a noise overnight but not checking due to the house being noisy with two dogs and twins. Sills believed Susann’s death was related to migraine medication causing her to lose her balance and fall down the stairs. Neubauer thought her daughter must have suffered from a sudden ailment because she was physically capable and had never fallen before. Investigators eventually found evidence hinting at foul play, including hair and bloodstains in the bedroom, defensive wounds on Susann’s arms, and a ligature mark on her neck.
Further investigation revealed possible issues in the couple’s relationship, including arguments and a cryptic note indicating some tension. Susann had made a bet on a conservative website that Donald Trump would win the 2016 election and posted a topless photo of herself in response, which was found in Sills’ possession. Despite the suspicions raised by the evidence, it was not until a year after her death that the coroner officially ruled it a homicide caused by strangulation. Sills denied any involvement in his wife’s death despite forensic evidence indicating otherwise.
Although Susann’s relatives were unaware of the ongoing investigation and the eventual findings, Sills continued living as though nothing had happened. He raised the couple’s twins and even appeared on a radio show discussing a birth control device while working on a new book. The detectives finally arrested Sills in 2019, five years after Susann’s death, and he was convicted of second-degree murder following a trial. The prosecutor believed there had been a violent struggle in the bedroom resulting in Sills strangling his wife, while his lawyer maintained her death was an accident due to a fall. The family had endured a long and difficult journey from the initial shock of Susann’s death to the resolution of the murder trial.
