Dateline Presents: Trace of Suspicion

4 min

•Mar 10, 20263 months ago

Summary

Dateline NBC presents a preview of the new podcast 'Trace of Suspicion,' which investigates the mysterious death of 23-year-old U.S. Marine Sergeant Todd Sommer in February 2002. What initially appeared to be a sudden illness became the focus of a murder investigation, with suspicions of poisoning and questions surrounding his widow's behavior after his death.

Insights

Sudden deaths of young, seemingly healthy individuals warrant thorough forensic investigation beyond initial medical assumptions
Post-death behavioral changes in spouses can trigger investigative scrutiny and become evidence in murder cases
Toxicology and poison detection represent critical investigative tools in cases of unexplained deaths
Public perception and social behavior following a death can significantly impact criminal investigations and suspicion

Trends

True crime podcast expansion into investigative journalism formatsRenewed focus on cold cases and historical investigations with modern forensic techniquesNarrative-driven storytelling in crime investigation mediaPublic interest in cases involving military personnel and institutional contexts

Topics

Sudden unexplained death investigationToxicology and poison detectionMurder investigation proceduresSpousal behavior analysis in criminal casesMilitary base medical protocolsCPR and emergency responseCriminal motive and financial hardshipUndercover law enforcement operationsCold case investigationForensic evidence analysis

Companies

Miramar Marine Base

Military facility in San Diego where Todd Sommer was stationed and where initial medical evaluation occurred

NBC

Network broadcasting Dateline NBC and the new Trace of Suspicion podcast series

People

Josh Mankiewicz

Host of Dateline NBC and creator/narrator of the Trace of Suspicion podcast investigating Todd Sommer's death

Todd Sommer

23-year-old U.S. Marine Sergeant whose sudden death in February 2002 is the subject of the murder investigation

Cindy Sommer

Todd Sommer's wife who discovered him gasping for breath and called 911; her post-death behavior became investigative...

Quotes

"Death comes for us all eventually. We can never know exactly when, where, or how."

Josh Mankiewicz•Opening

"He just looked at me and he said, I'm all right, I'm okay, I'm fine. And then he just fell down and I just kind of freaked out."

Cindy Sommer•Mid-episode

"This was really strange for a 23-year-old seemingly healthy Marine to die. So why don't we run one more test? Because poison could have been an option here."

Investigator•Investigation phase

"To say that this case took a turn no one expected is really the understatement of my career."

Josh Mankiewicz•Closing

Full Transcript

Hey, it's Josh Mankiewicz from Dateline with a special preview of my new podcast called Trace of Suspicion. Death comes for us all eventually. We can never know exactly when, where, or how. What is known is that the Grim Reaper is always out there, waiting, checking our names against a list, like some bill collector on commission. United States Marine Sergeant Todd Sommer had every reason to think his appointment with death was still decades away. After all, he was only 23. Except sometimes the years don't matter. As he got ready for bed that night in February 2002, The Reaper was watching. Todd had been battling some kind of bug for more than a week. Nausea, diarrhea, stomach pains, chills, fever. The full menu of misery The doctors at the Miramar Marine Base in San Diego thought this might be food poisoning Maybe that gas station egg roll he had eaten We do not know how much sleep Todd Summer actually got that night. We do know that at about 1.30 in the morning, his wife Cindy was awakened by the sound of her husband gasping for breath. He got up and he walked towards the bathroom and turned around and just looked at me and, like, just couldn't catch his breath. Years later, the memory of that night is still fresh for Cindy. I went over to him. I'm like, what's the matter? He just looked at me and he said, I'm all right, I'm okay, I'm fine. And then he just fell down and I just kind of freaked out. Mom, Mom, come on. That is Cindy back in 2002. on the phone to 911. 911, do you have a lunch break? What happened? You could slip. You were seconded in class. Okay, the parents are on the way, so you can do it. Summer. I going to win right now Cindy remembered the basics of CPR from her days as a swimmer in middle school and says she did what she could I never done it before other than on a dummy so I really wasn sure the exact sequence of how things should go A platoon of paramedics, EMTs and cops were only minutes away. But by then it seemed the Grim Reaper had her husband in a death embrace. Then police and fire got there, and it was just, they had taken me out of the room, and it was just all a blur from there. This story is about the why and the how of Todd Summer's death that night. What? I love you. I love you, baby. What am I going to do with you? It is about the wife he left behind and the questions that have persisted for more than 20 years. Well, we learned that they had some money issues. It is a story about private behavior and public shame. She started having a lot of people over and a lot of parties shortly after his funeral I understand everybody says it the sex We understood how it doesn look good The experts say that people do some pretty strange things in their grieving And it is the story about investigators who found reasons to believe Todd Sommer's sudden death was really a cold and calculated case of murder. This was really strange for a 23-year-old seemingly healthy Marine to die. So why don't we run one more test? Because poison could have been an option here. I'm Josh Mankiewicz. Thanks for listening. Search for Trace of Suspicion to hear the full episode now. Friday night on Dateline. We don't get too many cases like that. A hit for hire and an undercover sting were just the beginning. Some people call this a twisted love story. I think it's true love. To say that this case took a turn no one expected is really the understatement of my career. Nobody saw this coming. Dateline, Friday night at 9, 8 central, only on NBC.