On May 30, 1991 in Panama City Beach, Florida, Kay Sybers was unable to be woken by her daughter, Jennifer. She called her father, a respected medical examiner, who sent co-workers to check on his wife. Upon their arrival, Kay was unresponsive. The 52-year old mother of three was declared dead of a heart attack. Kay’s husband, William Sybers, asked that body be taken directly to a funeral home.
Investigators found that at dinner the night before Kay’s death, the couple enjoyed prime rib and consumed two bottles of Chardonnay. When they returned home, Dr. Sybers gave her a sleeping pill.
Medical Aid or Murder
Kay woke William during the night with nausea and pain in her left shoulder. William was concerned and drew blood, but botched the job and gave up after two unsuccessful attempts, he said. The next morning he called from work to check on Kay, but couldn’t get through, he told authorities.
Detectives began adding up the actions of William Sybers along with other irregularities. They noted that he failed to call 911, his staff asked medical personnel to leave the scene, and there was no autopsy. When investigators asked William why the proper protocol was not followed, he said he made mistakes because he was distraught.
Troubling investigators was that William had told them that he disposed of the syringe he had tried to draw blood with, and then removed the trash to the dumpster down the street while on his way to work. They began to wonder whether Dr. Sybers had poisoned his wife with the syringe.
An Independent Evaluation
There had been no record of heart disease or diabetes as Kay’s husband, William had told investigators. They wondered why Dr. Sybers was lying. The victim’s body needed to be examined. They transported Kay’s body to an independent medical examiner in Bay County, Fl.
Independent Medical Examiner, Dr. Gary Cumberland looked to pin point the cause of death. He noted puncture marks on Kay’s arm that were consistent with something being injected into her body. He checked her heart and other organs and all of them appeared to be normal.
There was still no cause of death. Tissue and blood samples were collected and forwarded to the Dade County Medical Examiner’s office. The test results were negative, however evidence would have been destroyed by the embalming.
Kay Sybers’ body was transported home to her native Iowa.
Evidence Mounts
Investigators continued to look for causes and clues to Kay’s murder. They found that Dr. Sybers had placed two cell phone calls to an associate at the hospital where he worked. The female associate said she and William Sybers were just friends, but later admitted to an affair with him. She told investigators that she didn’t believe William would resort to murder to continue their affair.
New forensics tests came out and scientists used Kay’s well-preserved frozen organs for testing. They were looking for paralyzing drugs. Kidney samples revealed succinylcholine, a paralyzing agent used daily in operating rooms. The FBI confirmed the findings.
Dr. Sybers would have had easy access to the drug and the knowledge to use it for a deadly effect. Investigators said Sybers then gave Kay a lethal amount of the drug to avoid a very costly divorce, keep 6 million dollars worth of joint assets and marry his mistress.
William Sybers was convicted of murder in Pensacola Florida. He was spared the death penalty and received a life sentence. However, in early 2003, an appeals court set aside Dr. Sybers conviction citing that the evidence was improper because the new test had not been verified by an outside expert. Therefore the evidence was inadmissible.
Sybers Goes Free
The prosecutor gave Sybers a plea agreement for the lesser charge of manslaughter, saying a trial wouldn’t result in significantly more incarceration time. Sybers received a ten-year sentence with eight years suspended. He was then released having already served his remaining two years of this sentence after his first trial.
Sources
“The New Detectives,” episode of “Toxic Death,” on the “Investigation Discovery” channel, aired Thursday, June 26, 2008.
“Bill Sybers Case,” Seamus McGraw, of truTv’s Crime Library.
Peter Moser - Pete came to Suite101 with several years of writing experience. He first wrote very detailed investigative police reports during his ...
