The Man in the Black Mask - Introducing: Trace of Suspicion

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

Hey Dateline fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Trace of Suspicion, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Josh Mankiewicz. After seemingly healthy 23-year-old Marine Todd Sommer dies unexpectedly, his widow Cindy’s lavish spending, cosmetic surgery, and wild partying raise investigators’ suspicions. They accuse her of poisoning him with arsenic for his life insurance, setting off a criminal case that takes a stunning turn... Josh Mankiewicz sits down with the woman at the center of it all in Dateline’s newest podcast.  Follow now to get the first two episodes on Tuesday, March 10 completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com to hear the first two episodes now. Subscribers receive ad-free listening and early access to subsequent episodes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

He was a young Marine, handsome in his dress blues. He had a religious aspect to him. She was a free spirit who didn't care about convention. I'm a hippie. I'm a deadhead. They married and made a life together. And then one night, the Marine died. Drums rolled, guns saluted, and a flag was folded for the widow. All of it by the book, solemn, dignified, appropriate.

And then something happened. The widow went off script. She started having a lot of parties shortly after his funeral. A lot of the neighbors were just like she got over that pretty quickly. With her husband's insurance money, the widow lived it up. New bling, new lovers, new look. This case started because of the breast implant. Think about it.

If she had a nose jaw, would we even be talking about it? Eyebrows arched, tongues wagged, and an investigation was born. Chemists found arsenic in the Marines' tissues, and his widow was accused of murder. We need to try to pursue justice for this young Marine and his family. Our latest podcast takes us to San Diego, where an untimely death and some unseemly behavior added up to a murder rap. What am I being arrested for? Like I told you yesterday, there was some phone substance that was found in his body.

So you tried me with murder? Oh my gosh, are you serious? Yes. It's a story about investigators in dogged pursuit of a theory. I told them they might want to get the stuff retested and find out what's going on. It's about prosecutors hell-bent on winning and about what happens when the wheel of justice go off the rails. It was over a million.

My mom sold her house, cashed in all of their retirements, all their, everything. It shouldn't be a game. It shouldn't be a situation where let's see what we can get away with. And that's what happened in this case. I'm Josh Megowitz,

and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all-new podcast from Dateline. Beginning Tuesday, March 10th, you can listen to the latest episodes completely free, or to begin listening now, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Datelinepremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts, add free.