The preview opens with a philosophical framing of death before introducing Todd Sommer, a 23-year-old US Marine Sergeant at Miramar Marine Base in San Diego who died in February 2002. Todd had been ill for over a week with nausea, diarrhoea, stomach pains, chills and fever, and base doctors suspected food poisoning, potentially from a gas station egg roll. At around 1:30 a.m., his wife Cindy was woken by the sound of gasping, watched Todd say 'I'm okay' and then collapse. Cindy attempted CPR with limited training she recalled from childhood swim classes. The 911 call audio is played briefly. Paramedics arrived within minutes but Cindy was removed from the room as they worked. The preview then establishes three threads: the investigation into how a healthy young Marine died, the suspicious behaviour Cindy displayed after the funeral including hosting parties, and the eventual decision by investigators to run additional tests because poison had not been ruled out. The preview concludes by framing the case as a 20-year story about private behaviour, public shame, and the possibility of cold-blooded murder.
