California fertility doctor charged for murder of his wife who died from an 'apparent fall'
A fertility doctor from Orange County, California, has been reportedly charged with one felony count of murder in the death of his wife and business partner. The 54-year-old was arrested on Thursday, April 25, and charged the next day for the November 13, 2016, death of Susann Stephanie Arsuaga Sills, according to reports.
Eric Scott Sills claimed he found his wife dead from an apparent fall in the early hours of November 13. The fertility doctor allegedly told police officials that he had woken up to find his wife Susann dead at the bottom of the stairs of the couple's San Clemente home.
"Deputies secured the scene and due to the unknown nature of the death, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Homicide unit was called to investigate," according to a press release from Orange County District Attorney's Office, reported People. "In November 2017, after an extensive investigation including an autopsy, the OCSD Coroner division determined that the death was a homicide."
The press release further stated that investigators continued to investigate Susann Sills' death and "as information continued to develop, an arrest warrant was issued." The medical practitioner was arrested on his way to work and was booked into the Orange County Jail.
The doctor's father, James Larry Sills, told the Orange County Register that he was shocked by the news of his son's arrest. "We never expected this, and are looking to see what comes out in the news just like everybody else," he said. He further claimed that his son took his wife's death "pretty hard" and "became pretty focused on taking care of his kids, and I wasn't sure if he ever remarries or not."
Reports further suggested that the couple worked together at the Center for Advanced Genetics at Carlsbad, California, where Susann co-founded the clinic and Sills was the medical director. The company's website stated that Sills graduated from Cornell University in 1998 and was a board-certified physician and author with expertise is IVF, surrogacy and fertility surgery.
The company's mission, according to its website, is "to offer assisted reproductive technologies including in-vitro fertilization, intra-uterine insemination, pre-implantation genetic testing, sperm banking, egg freezing, surrogacy, and related fertility surgeries."
According to her obituary, published in the Los Angeles Times, Susann Sills, a 45-year-old mother of twins, was born in Philadelphia and was a graduate of South Fork High School in Florida. Meanwhile, Sills posted a $1 million bail on Monday, April 29 and is scheduled for arraignment on May 23.