A California doctor who told emergency responders in 2016 that his wife fatally fell down the stairs was charged with her murder, prosecutors said.
Dr. Eric Sills, 53, who was on his way to work at a Carlsbad infertility clinic, was arrested by deputies last week in the death of his 45-year-old wife, Susan, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
More than two years ago, Sills told deputies who arrived at his San Clemente home that his wife died in an apparent fall. He claimed he woke up on Nov. 13, 2016, to discover Susan dead at the bottom of their stairs.
Deputies launched an “extensive investigation” into her death, but the case wasn’t ruled a homicide until a year later.
More than a year and a half of investigation followed before Sills was arrested, prosecutors said.
The prosecutors didn’t release any evidence or a possible motive. It is unknown how his wife died.
Sills was booked into Orange County Jail last Thursday on suspicion of murder and released on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 23.
Susan’s obituary said the couple worked together at the Center for Advanced Genetics, where her husband was the medical director. The couple had twins together and Susan had two stepchildren.
“Her sudden loss was a deep sorrow for the many friends, family, and patients to whom she had endeared herself during her love-filled life,” the obituary said.