Dateline: Secrets by the Bay - A complete investigation overview of the Elizabeth Sullivan murder case from 2014, explored 

A Dateline episode titled Secrets by the Bay featured the chilling case of Elizabeth Sullivan's murder from 2014. In October 2014, Elizabeth disappeared. When a few weeks go by without anyone in the family being able to connect with her, their concern starts to grow. She was reported missing, and the officers launched a full-fledged investigation. However, even after a long time, they didn't get any leads.

A turning point in the case came when the officials discovered some blood stains under the carpet along with a knife in her apartment at Liberty Station in San Diego, which confirmed that she had been killed inside the apartment, and the body had been disposed of.

This is how the case took a gruesome and horrifying turn, leaving the family members shocked. Read on for the complete investigation overview of the Elizabeth Sullivan murder case from 2014.

Here is the complete investigation overview of the Elizabeth Sullivan murder case from 2014, as shown on Dateline

Elizabeth Sullivan was 32 years old at the time of the murder and was the wife of a Navy man with whom she had 2 girls. In October, when Elizabeth suddenly stopped coming to family gatherings and responding to calls and messages, the concern grew within the family. They reported her missing, and the search began officially.

The officers further discovered that the seemingly happy couple, Elizabeth and her husband Matthew Sullivan's marriage was struggling. Matthew was a US Navy man, and their relationship had grown tense with them sleeping separately and fighting over the children's custody, as per Fox 23.

However, the officers were not close to any substantial proof to charge anyone in the case. And for nearly 2 years, Elizabeth's case did not move ahead and went cold. In 2016, a body was seen in San Diego Bay, badly decomposed and floating on the water's surface, the same day Matthew was seemingly moving out of their shared apartment with his new girlfriend. The body was eventually identified as that of Elizabeth. The cause of the death was not known to the officials, but they believed that Elizabeth's remains had been hidden somewhere before being dumped in the bay.

According to NBC San Diego, Elizabeth was stabbed to death.

Matthew Sullivan was charged with first-degree murder, as shown on Dateline

Investigators decided to recheck the Liberty Station apartment where the Sullivans once lived, and what they found in that location ended up becoming a major lead in the case. There were blood stains below the carpet area, on the floorboards, and even a knife in the attic. These stains matched Elizabeth's DNA. This helped them confirm that she was murdered, and the knife was the weapon that was used. Although Matthew had moved out of the house, he left some evidence behind.

Matthew Sullivan was arrested on January 31, 2018, outside of his Delaware home and was charged with first-degree murder. In 2020, his murder trial re-opened in San Diego, and the Deputy District Attorney Jill Lindberg shared different potential motives, telling jurors how the romance between Matthew and Elizabeth turned into domestic violence, and eventually murder. Furthermore, information regarding Elizabeth's extramarital affair, which Matthew discovered a month before the victim's disappearance, was also revealed, which had caused more strain in their already deteriorating marriage.

In Matthew's defence, attorney Marcus Dubose presented Matthew as a man who was simply trying to get hold of his wife, who was "pulling away, turning towards a self-destructive lifestyle," as per a report by NBC San Diego.

Matthew Sullivan was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years to life in prison on March 12, 2021, per Dateline.

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