don't miss "jeopardy! masters" when it returns on wednesday. we'll see you then. [ applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- >> deborah: it starts out with a trip to the beach like so many families are taking right now. >> david: but it ends up with someone getting life behind bars. "20/20" starts right now.

how often do you think about that tragic day? >> every day. every day, i have nightmares about it. >> what's your full name? >> laura. >> mm-hmm? >> lee. day. >> how laura would come off to people was from the old sitcom "three's company" as chrissy, the bubbly, you know, bleached blonde. >> she had told me for her, it was love at first sight. >> we met each other at a time in our life where our marriages were falling apart. >> what is it with marrying all these men? >> she wanted it to just be us. >> we're going to be together forever, and you're not going to be with anyone else ever. >> i was so wrapped up and tangled up in all of this that so many red flags escaped me. >> i blame him. i do blame him. he knew about her past. >> this case involves a love triangle. there's anger, there's resentment, and it's no surprise that somebody wound up dead.

okay. >> this is the first interview you've done, right, on this case? >> yes, and now is the right time to do it. >> this is laura day. once a soccer mom and a wife, now behind bars, accused of an unthinkable crime that she says she did not commit. how would you describe your life before you got here? >> oh, i lived in paradise. >> and then it all came crashing down. >> correct. yes. >> corpus christi, south texas. it's the hometown of selena, the queen of tejano music. and just across the water from her statue is north padre island.

what's this island like? >> well, as you can see, it's not a -- not a bad place to live at all. >> corpus is a nice town. it's a fairly good-size town, but everybody kind of knows everyone. >> well, it's probably the biggest little small town there is. >> i could not live anywhere else. when you, you know, cross that bridge from your long day at work, you feel like you just naturally take a deep breath and you're on vacation. >> i worked hard for everything. palm trees, you know, and sunsets. it was beautiful. >> it's kind of the whole island life, you know, the flip-flops, the shorts, the shirt. you know, just pretty casual. it's just a whole different lifestyle over here. >> who is this woman? >> that's me way back in the '90s. the good old days.

i was a bikini model. >> laura was a very visible character on the island, because you know, she just kind of stood out a bit. >> did a lot of bikini contests. and also worked for an agency. but i gave it all up and decided to settle down and fell in love with an englishman. >> laura moved to corpus christi in 1997 with british-born phil day. the next year, they marry and their son cameron is born. >> i got to meet laura through a mom-and-tots group for stay-at-home island mommies at the time, which i was, and she just had a very, very -- kind of a commanding presence. i think that's the best way to describe it. you know, she was going to be noticed in a group. >> she was very friendly, very demonstrative. she was an attractive lady, very personable.

>> she was a good mother. >> she was very devoted to cameron. you know, i would see them with their son, she and her husband, phil. and just very devoted. did not miss soccer practice, did not miss games. you know, just basically kind of a happy suburban couple. >> laura wasn't your typical soccer mom. she and her family were enjoying the high life in their palatial mansion, reachable by boat. that's the house right there, huh? >> that's it right there. >> what's it like inside? >> it was pretty impressive, if you like greek pillars and marble and that sort of thing. >> did she have any close women friends? >> no. i often thought she was lonely. i think it was difficult for her to make connections with other women. she would want to become your friend very, very quickly. you know, sometimes that can be a little off-putting.

>> you said that you didn't know whether she was being friendly or flirting with you. >> you know, maybe it was a little bit of both. >> she didn't get along with a lot of women you say, but how about the men? >> men, being visual creatures, i'm sure didn't necessarily have a problem with laura. >> laura would soon cross paths with another family, the syringes. david, wife kelly, her son, sebastian, and 5-year-old taylor. >> life was pretty good. kelly, she had a son already. that was sebastian. he was a good little boy. and you know, it was kind of like being a dad to him. >> tell me about taylor. >> ah, he was -- he was big. big personality. fearless. >> brave? >> brave. not afraid of water at all. he loved the water. >> the first time we took him to

a big pool, his expression was, big bathtub! >> we were at my sister's house, running a bath for his cousin, and the next thing you know -- >> he is fully clothed sitting in the water. like, huh, okay. >> taylor was david's mimic. when he was with his dad, whatever his dad was doing, that's what he wanted to be doing. >> david was driving a fuel truck, putting him on the road for long stretches of time. >> i was gone quite a bit, especially in the early years. i'd be gone for a week or two sometimes at a time. kelly and i, you know, had moments where things were good. and then we would have long periods of things where, you know, i was unhappy. >> in 2010, he starts driving for a new company with better hours.

>> they offered me home every night, two days off, and i was like, "man, that's perfect." but then things with kelly and i got worse again. and that was kind of about the time that i met laura. >> i did tell my ex, don't bring everybody around taylor that you're dating. >> for her, it was love at first sight, and i was definitely attracted to her. >> and his first weekend to pick taylor up, he brought that woman. ♪ have you always had trouble losing weight and keeping it off? same. discover the power of wegovy®. ♪ ♪ with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds. ♪ ♪ and i'm keeping the weight off. wegovy® helps you lose weight and keep it off. i'm reducing my risk.

wegovy® is the only fda-approved weight-management medicine that's proven to reduce risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight. wegovy® shouldn't be used with semaglutide or glp-1 medicines. don't take wegovy® if you or your family had medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop wegovy® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. wegovy® may cause low blood sugar in people with diabetes, especially if you take medicines to treat diabetes. tell your provider about vision problems or changes, or if you feel your heart racing while at rest. depression or thoughts of suicide may occur. call your provider right away if you have any mental changes. common side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. with wegovy®, i'm losing weight, i'm keeping it off. and i'm lowering my cv risk. that's the power of we. ♪ ♪

check your cost and coverage before talking to your health care professional about wegovy®. looking for a reason to try the new $5 meal deal at mcdonalds? here's one, two, three, four and the price makes 5. that's everything you get with the new $5 meal deal at mcdonald's. maybelline new york. new firework mascara. firework it! 360 degree extraordinary lash impact. super spark brush for a fully flared look. ( ♪ ) new firework mascara. maybelline new york. hi, can i help you? maybe... i'd like to look at dolce & gabbana, versace, burberry, ray-ban, persol, oakley, costa, michael kors, coach, and ralph lauren. (♪)

what colors? sunglass hut. find every shade of you.

♪ david syring has been with his new company for just over a year when a new sales rep joins the team, laura day. >> my opinion of how laura would come off to people, or how she came off to me, was from the old sitcom "three's company" as chrissy, the bubbly, you know, bleach blonde. >> is he gone? >> yeah, everything's all right. >> no, it isn't. >> what do you mean? >> you ate all my cake! >> that's kind of the stereotype she came off to me as. >> she was attractive. i mean, everybody noticed her. she did good as a sales rep just with her personality. >> and then you met david syring.

>> yeah, we met each other at a time in our life where our marriages were falling apart, and so we just kind of fell in love. >> i was going through a rough patch with kelly, and laura was very friendly. she was married, too. she would explain to me the issues that she had in her marriage and seemed as though, you know, neither one of us were really happy with our spouse. >> what attracted you to david in the first place? >> oh, he was kind. he was fun. we had a lot in common. >> what was the attraction? >> she didn't act her age. she acted, if anything, probably younger than me. >> she was ten years older than you. >> 12 years, actually. >> when david and laura started dating, i was worried that david

was giving up something for something that may not really be what it was. >> how did it become a full-blown affair? >> i don't know. things just happened so fast. it was -- you know, one thing led to another. >> i thought laura was more about making sure that she was getting what she wanted, that it was more about her than about him, is kind of how i felt personally about it. you give somebody some attention that's not used to getting attention, and they will bend over backwards to -- to do whatever you want them to do, and i always felt laura was that type of person. >> it's around the beginning of the new year when david reveals to his wife, kelly, that he's been having an affair. and by may 2012, their marriage is over. how acrimonious was the divorce between you and david? >> mm. it was not easy. um, i was still very much in love with him.

i was very angry. >> how was taylor affected by the divorce? >> he was heartbroken. >> what did he say? >> he just started crying. he just sat in my lap. and we tried to reassure him that, you know, we both love you very much, you know, that's never going to change. >> at the time laura begins dating david syring, her son cameron is very much in the picture. and at a certain point, laura's relationship with cameron becomes strained. >> she says that, you're going to live with your father, philip day, who really didn't live very far away. but it left her with david alone in the house. >> barely a few months after their divorces are finalized, david and laura visit the wedding capital of the world, las vegas. got married in vegas. what was that like?

>> oh, it was fun. it was like, let's just go to vegas and get married, you know? >> you got divorced and then married pretty quickly. divorced in may of 2012. >> correct. >> and then married in august 2012, three months later. >> yes. now, part of that was in my divorce decree, kelly had wanted it to be put in there that there was to be no overnight guests i wasn't married to around taylor. >> he had a morality clause in his divorce. that meant that taylor couldn't spend the night if i was in the house, which kind of rushed our marriage along. >> taylor is at a very, very sensitive age of 6. so it's perfectly understandable that kelly would say, look, unh-unh, not until you're ready to introduce a woman who's actually your wife. i do not want to confuse my son further. >> i mean, we felt like we wanted to get married.

uh, maybe not quite that soon. but i wanted taylor to be able to be around laura and laura to be around him. >> what was taylor like? >> oh, very adventurous. and he had no fear. okay, go. we had a big pool in the backyard. whoo! awesome! >> i guess he was learning to swim? >> he knew how to swim. we taught him. and he was a pretty good swimmer. >> say hi, everybody! >> hi, everybody! >> he was learning to swim a little too quick for my taste. >> i recorded it so your mommy can see it, your grandpa, everybody. >> he loved the water, and it was a little scary how fast he was going with it. >> you want to do another one? okay, one minute. >> and i always made sure that he had a lifejacket on. >> but he liked it? >> he loved the water, and he loved the pool.

>> one, two, three, four. >> it is a beautiful house. where do you think laura got the money? >> she told me of some internet businesses. selling images and whatnot. >> well, there were stories in this neighborhood of filming going on of adult-oriented productions. >> looking back, the theatrical elements to their home kind of lends itself to the movie set. right? but it was a rumor that was always, always around. >> i've heard that some adult films were made? >> um, not by us. but i did own an adult content

business, and i purchased images and some films from professional photographers. and we sold it on the internet and made a really good living at it. >> but you weren't in those pictures. >> no. >> you met her, said hello and -- >> nope. i never met her in person. >> never did? >> uh-uh. >> you were the mother of his baby. >> i know. >> i didn't handle things properly with the way our relationship ended, but there was issues because it seemed like kelly wanted to make it hard, especially for laura. kelly did not want laura picking taylor up from school. and laura was fighting, you know, saying, hey, you know, you

need to let her know that i am going to be picking him up from school. >> what did you think of his wife, kelly? >> um, i really didn't get a chance or an opportunity to get to know her better. i wanted to. >> you were caught in the middle. >> yes. and laura was afraid that, given my close bondness to taylor, that i would eventually one day maybe go back to kelly. >> you weren't worried that taylor would bring his parents back together again? >> no, absolutely not. as a matter of fact, david hired an attorney -- we both did -- to get full custody of taylor. >> david claims that there was a dispute over his medical care that prompted david and laura to try to get full custody over taylor. >> we had been instructed that it was going to be hard to try to get grounds that were serious enough to get custody.

>> laura knew that taylor was david's world. regardless of what else happened, taylor was david's world. >> i was very secure in my relationship with david at the time. i was not jealous of anybody. do you love me more than you loved kelly? >> i love you with all my heart, sweetheart. >> despite, you know, me telling her over and over that you know, i was there with her -- i've never loved like i love you. she wanted it to just be us. (♪) (♪) wrong turn? hey google, play dramatic music with the best in class fuel economy and 5 drive modes, virtually no road is out of bounds drive the new 2024 nissan rogue one of 6 nissan vehicles starting under 30 thousand dollars or get up to 1000 dollars bonus cash on select 2024 rogue trims (♪)

why do dermatologists worldwide recommend la roche-posay? effective skincare like la roche-posay double repair face moisturizer delivers double-action to help repair skin's barrier and provide 48-hour hydration for healthy-looking skin. la roche-posay. ♪ ♪ ♪ kellogg's rice krispies treats. connect on a sweeter level. i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up ♪ ♪ i've got symptom relief ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me ♪ (♪) ♪ control is everything to me ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and skyrizi is proven to help deliver

long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. (♪) ♪ control is everything to me ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save.

okay, go. >> david and laura have been married for two months and are adjusting to life as a new family, with little taylor visiting on the weekends. >> it almost seemed perfect at first. we both cared for each other. you know, we -- making sure that each other was happy. >> as a stepmom, what was laura like with taylor? >> she seemed to care for him like he was her own.

they would bake cookies together. she was always trying to think of things to do as a family. >> we went everywhere together. movies, chuck e. cheese. i mean, i took him to taekwondo and just -- we did everything. >> we talked of, you know, what we would do for taylor to give him a better life. >> i had a bright future for him, even talked about saving money and putting it away for college like i did my own son. so, we had high hopes. >> you loved this little boy. >> yes. >> tell me about that tragic day, october 5th, 2012. >> right. >> how did it begin? what happened? >> it began on a friday. i picked taylor up from school. and we didn't have any set plans

as to what to do, because, okay, we got friday, you know, daddy's still at work. what would you like to do? he said he wanted to have a picnic on the beach. >> it was to be my weekend with taylor. laura, from my understanding, was going to pick him up. >> i had sole custody. he got him every other weekend. >> normally under their divorce agreement, david would pick up taylor on saturday mornings. but in this particular occasion, kelly agreed to allow him to pick up taylor on a friday. >> he wasn't supposed to have him that day, but i started thinking taylor would be upset with me if he knew his dad wanted to pick him up. so i agreed that he could have him that friday. >> so, laura picked him up from school. they would, you know, maybe stop to get one of their regular fruit smoothie drinks, and you know, head to the house.

>> he likes to try different ones all the time, so he tried some blueberry, i think it was. and he wanted chicken nuggets, so we got the chicken nuggets. and we cruised on home. and i said, well, if we're going to have a picnic on the beach, i've got to get all the beach gear. >> so was this an impromptu visit to the beach with taylor, or was it planned? >> no, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. >> you had spoken to laura on the phone. had she mentioned she might take him to the beach? >> she had mentioned going to mcdonald's and getting him a happy meal, but never to the beach. >> we went home, got the beach gear, and we just went across the street to the beach in my car. and i couldn't believe it -- the beach was so packed for a friday. my first thought was, don't these people work?

so i went down quite a ways. >> you went far away just so that -- to be less people? >> to less people, because it was really crowded, and to get our own space on the beach. when we stopped, even though there were people over to my left that were fishing, a couple, they had a dog, and the dog wasn't on the leash. so i said, you know, let's go down a little further. >> did you plan to put him in the water? >> well, he wanted to go swimming. >> he wanted to go? >> yes. he wanted to go to the beach. that was his idea. because i personally never saw him swim on the beach, i made him wear a lifejacket. and when i did that, he complained about it rubbing on the back of his neck. it was giving him a rash, clearly. i said, if you can show me that you're okay and you feel safe

enough to dive under the waves and you feel comfortable, then i'll let you swim and, you know, play in the beach in the shallow water without your lifejacket. so, i went in the water with him the first time to make sure he was okay. and he was squealing, having a good time, going -- diving under the waves, you know, how kids do. anyway, so, as soon as i felt comfortable with him being alone, i went back right to the water's edge. >> how far out did he go? >> i don't know exactly, but you can go out far before the water gets deep. and just a few minutes later, something pulled him out and sucked him under.

at first, i didn't understand. i thought maybe he dived under the wave and he was swimming. but then i realized he didn't surface, and i ran in the water to where he was, and he was gone. and then i saw him floating face down. >> he came up again? >> yes, he was floating face down a ways away from me, where i was. and i ran out to him. >> were you yelling? calling for help? >> i -- i screamed his name. and i turned him over, and he -- there was no life in him. he was -- he wasn't breathing. and all i thought was that i had to give him air. so i gave him air in the water while i was -- had him in my -- in my arms.

and he -- he was lifeless. so i took him back to the beach, and i panicked. and i tried to get the water out of his lungs, and it just wasn't coming out. i didn't know why. >> but you knew cpr. why not do that? >> i panicked. and i was disoriented. i wasn't thinking clearly. >> and tc caused you to take off and -- >> go straight to the hospital. yes. >> i was born and raised in south texas, and i remember coming here as a child, and i remember being warned about the undertows and the power of the riptides. you see, the power of those waves, anything could happen. >> i was headed home, and i hadn't heard from laura in a while, and that was unusual. and so i tried calling her. and several phone calls, no answer.

finally, a nurse answers the phone, and i heard the frightening words, it's taylor. i told myself i was ok with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in ra and psa. relieve fatigue, and stop further joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant.

done settling? ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. and take back what's yours. abbvie could help you save. ♪ hey! i'll give you $574 if you switch. for gerald? well, okay. so, what about $574 for switching your home insurance to allstate? oh, i try not to think about home insurance. too complicated. actually, allstate can handle the switching for you. —just call 'em. —it's that easy to save? yup. and you get allstate. huh, well that's a step up. goodbye, gerald. oh... check allstate first and you could save hundreds. you're in good hands with allstate. alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer.

say hello to your fairy godmother alice, and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain. (james) so while i'm gone, you'll feed rosie blue buffalo? part of the irresistible (marcus) i got iams. (james) but blue has deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, oatmeal... (marcus) well iams has chicken, ground whole grain corn, ground whole grain sorghum, chicken by-product meal we're switchin' to blue! psst! it's target circle week. sorry, it's what week? target circle week! what did she say? i think she said... circle. not following... what week? circle week! she's saying circle week. it's the biggest sale of the season! oh great! does that mean more savings or something? you bet your bottom derler! your bottom what?

♪ it's early fall in corpus christi, and a trip to the beach appears to have gone terribly wrong. describe that drive to the hospital. >> just going very fast. you know, just trying to get there as quickly as possible. >> my first call was to kelly, to let her know to get to the hospital immediately. >> after about 20 minutes, laura arrives at the hospital with taylor. >> she came in screaming that she needed help, and then everybody went and tried to get the patient inside. we immediately started to try to resuscitate. he did not have a pulse and he did not have spontaneous respirations.

we got the breathing tube in as quickly as possible and put iv access to give medications. >> when i walked into the hospital, i could clearly see the doctors trying to resuscitate him. >> doing everything you can and knowing that you're not going to have a good outcome is a -- is a very sad situation. >> what happened at the hospital? >> at the hospital, they tried to revive him, but he was -- he was already gone. >> laying there lifeless, blue. grayish-blue. as soon as i saw him, i knew he was gone. >> in the back of my head, i may have known, but my mind would not let me believe that i had just lost my boy. >> and what is laura doing? >> she was standing there. just not doing anything.

not crying, nothing. just standing there. as if she had the right to be there. >> didn't try to comfort you? >> no. it was probably a good thing she didn't. and all i could do was just cry. just -- cry. just lay my head on my son and just cry. >> he was gone. >> mm-hmm. >> and she just stood there. >> mm-hmm. >> i don't remember exactly where ms. day was. i know i talked to her at one point to get a history of what happened. >> and i -- i was still very confused. disoriented.

and still very hysterical and upset, not thinking clearly. >> she told me just that he drowned and she found him and put him in the car and drove him in. she didn't have a lot of emotion on her face, but sometimes people can -- can be reacting to horrible news or a horrible situation, and that's the way they react. >> we had a little get-together of family members. i don't recall her being involved in it. uh, she was pretty well trying to stay away from kelly, because kelly was screaming and yelling at laura from, you know, across the lobby area.

>> when i got to the hospital, i thought that taylor had been with kelly, and i asked laura, i said, "where were kelly and taylor at?" and she goes "oh, no, paul, he was with me." and before i even said anything, the police officer that was standing there told me that i shouldn't have any conversation. so i went back across the parking lot, and i noticed that they had another police officer in laura's vehicle taking pictures and video inside of her toyota. i start thinking, okay, this is kind of weird. if it's an accident, why would i not be able to console or talk to friends of mine? and why are they taking all these pictures and videos? you know, and why is that cop continuously just standing there? >> i remember it so well, because i don't remember a drowning patient coming in that way. they always came in by e.m.s. >> that hospital you took him

to, though, was 12 miles away. >> that was the closest hospital to the beach. >> there was a firehouse nearby with e.m.s. technicians. maybe they could've revived him or tried to? >> perhaps, possibly, but when it comes to saving somebody's life, do you really think of a fire department? do you? >> if he was lifeless when she pulled him from the water, you can't waste all that time driving when you could be doing resuscitation. if the brain is not receiving oxygen after about four to six minutes, then you have brain death. so there was no way that the child was going to survive after that drive. >> so on friday, october 5th, i received a call from detective pena. she reached out to me to say, i'm here at bay area hospital. there's a young boy who's drowned, and i just don't have a good feeling about this.

and she said, i want to take laura day and david syring to the main station, and i want to interview them. and i said, if you have a bad feeling, then do what you need to do. >> i still remember that drive. i prayed to god. i was praying. >> i hope no one blames me for this. >> well, it was an accident, right? >> and i said, i don't care, be it god or the devil -- i don't care what happens to me, my eternal soul. >> maybe i should have called 911. >> please don't let this be reality. >> well, as far as i know, it was an accident. >> on the night when david syring was interviewed -- >> there's no question in your mind that she would do anything to hurt him at all, right? >> he said several things -- >> i'm a doubtful person. >> you're doubtful?

>> -- during the interview that were interesting. were interesting. >> she can't hear me, can she? we stood on some pretty broad shoulders to get to where we are at today. on ancestry i was able to actually put together our family tree. each person is a glass worker. that's why we do what we do. we can't help it. the glass blowing - that's a part of our dna. it's in my blood, it's in my history. it's my job to make sure that this shop makes it to the next generation. maybelline new york. new firework mascara. firework it! 360 degree extraordinary lash impact. super spark brush for a fully flared look. ( ♪ ) new firework mascara. maybelline new york.

tragedy has hit the close-knit community of corpus christi with the death of 6-year-old taylor syring. he was brave?

>> brave, humble. caring, full of life. when i dropped him off at school, i would play a game with him. give me a hug and kiss, and then i would go, "oh, wait, i need my hug and kiss." and the last day, he did it to me. he said, "i need my hug and kiss, mom." okay. "no, mom, i need my hug and kiss." >> on october 5th? >> mm-hmm. >> and that was the last you saw of him? >> mm-hmm. >> that evening, david, kelly, and laura are interviewed by the police. >> my name is detective pena. this is my partner, detective mike ilse. and, um, this is normal procedure. >> i'll start off, you know, i'm very sorry for -- for what you're having to go through. >> i just assumed that this was kind of just routine, and i wanted to be able to help any

way i could just to make sure they had all the information that they needed. >> it is not unusual for the parents to be brought in for questioning. you have a 6-year-old who is dead, and they need to understand the circumstances of his death. >> sitting off camera, taylor's mother, kelly, is distraught. >> do you have any questions for me? >> yeah. how do you plan a funeral for a 6-year-old? he was such -- sweet. now he's gone. >> how many children do you have? >> one. >> you have one? and what's his name? >> cameron. >> did anybody tell you you were in custody? >> no, but i felt like i was. >> and what about david? how many children for david? >> he doesn't have any now. >> i'm sorry. can, um -- i can barely hear you.

>> he doesn't have any now. >> there were crying type noises, but no evidence that there were any tears, and she had to be asked to repeat herself quite a bit when answering questions. >> at one point, the detective had to say, look at me, look at me. she has long, blonde hair, and it's covering her face. and it's like, wait a second. we got to get through this. we got to push through this for taylor's sake. >> if the police thought you weren't crying, what do you tell them? >> the nerve of them. >> how many children did he have? >> one. >> and his -- his child's name? >> it's taylor. >> they knew i was crying. david knew i was crying. >> the reason i'm asking some of this stuff is i want to get an idea of the family dynamics and what -- what's going on in y'all's lives. >> i told them the difficulties

we were having with laura and kelly and trying to get custody of taylor. >> how's the relationship between you and kelly? not good? >> she wouldn't even speak to me. >> tonight or before? >> ever. since the divorce. >> since the divorce. >> he said he wanted to have a picnic on the beach. and i said, well, that sounds like fun. we can do that. >> i don't know the woman. i don't know anything about her, but i think she is a manipulator. >> has he ever done that before? >> not with me. but he did mention that he was at the beach with his mother. >> i think she's responsible for my son's death because -- you know, because she was there. >> do you know how to do cpr? >> i'm cpr certified. i'm also a diver. >> okay. so, can you tell me how you did

cpr on taylor? >> i didn't. i didn't press on his chest. i blew in his mouth. >> and you didn't do chest compressions because you thought -- >> i didn't want to hurt him. i didn't -- i panicked. >> if she was trained in cpr, she would have known that she had to start ventilations and compressions immediately. and you also want somebody to call 911. >> when he was in the water, do you remember how deep the water was on him? did he start moving back or pretty close to the beach? >> well, because he's not very tall, so probably to his chest. >> about his chest? >> his shoulders maybe. >> okay. >> i would say overall, i didn't have any specific red flags from the interview. but nonetheless, it was interesting because when detective ilse would ask questions, you would see that she would look up and -- and make eye contact with him when she answered. but she wasn't doing that for detective pena. >> i don't know how he got so far away.

>> water, waves will drag and take you quick. >> i think that's what happened. >> however, when david syring was interviewed at the police station, he said several things during the interview that were interesting. >> so taylor and -- and laura -- >> taylor got along with everybody. >> got along with everybody. and she got along with him? there's no -- there's no question in your mind that she would do anything on purpose to hurt him at all, right? >> i'm a doubtful person. >> you're doubtful? >> you told the police, "i believe it was an accident, but i want to know the truth." >> yes. i said, if you find out anything, if you find out otherwise, if it's not an accident, i want to know. the only reason i say this is because i want to know for certain. i know that laura was extremely jealous of kelly.

and -- and she was afraid that one day i would try to get back with her, even though there was no chance that i would. she was fearful of that. >> yeah. >> he made it very clear in that interview that laura day was extremely jealous of taylor's mother, and they had discussed getting custody of taylor and moving far, far away. >> and she wanted to -- once we did get taylor, she wanted -- we would just leave corpus and move away from everybody. >> maybe i should have called 911. >> well, you never know what you might do in a -- in a panicky situation. okay. >> is anything else -- any other concerns that -- that we need to know about? >> well, um, she can't hear me, can she?

>> i told the police what i had found. because it had just been that week. i did an internet search and typed in her name. it wasn't that i was really searching for something on laura. i was just curious to see what it would say. her name was laura feist. it's her birth name. and when all these charges popped up, i was just like, wow, what is this? 17-year-old laura feist shot and killed her boyfriend on may 11th, 1982. it said that she had a previous murder charge. i was shocked. i was like, this can't be the i was like, this can't be the laura that i know. (♪) at olive garden, we think you should get more for less—

especially when it comes to your favorites. so, with create your own pasta, you choose your perfect combination of pasta and made-from-scratch sauce. and it comes with round after round of our never-ending homemade soup or garden-fresh salad and buttery breadsticks. all starting at just $12.99. because nothing says “more” like getting all your favorites for less. (claire): mitch and cam switched phones and now the family chat's gone green,ore” and the photos are blurry... (phil) so the kids stopped replying. they barely even visit anymore. [knock at the door] (phil) kids! kids! (postal worker) problem reaching your kids? i see it a lot. try whatsapp. it's great for any phone. and it's private. (claire) the kids are responding again. (phil) what does iykyk mean? (claire) if you know you know. (phil) well if i knew, i wouldn't be asking. ya know. got another one! i got another one! (man 1) can you hear me now? can you hear me now? can you hear me now?

(dj) can you hear me now? (runner) stay with me now! (teens) oooo! (woman 1) mírame ahora! (woman 2) get em now! (roger goodell) we're ready now! (woman 3) have fun! (fan) ooo, pinch me now! (woman 4) save me now! (toddler) let's go now! (woman 5) check me now! (toddler) catch me now! (gamer 1) cmon! (gamer 2) play me now! (toddler) okay, bye now! ( ♪ ) feel the power of osteo bi-flex®.

taken every day, it's clinically shown to improve joint comfort in 7 days, with significant improvement over time. ( ♪ ) harlem has everything. but i couldn't find pilates anywhere. so i started my own studio. and with the right help, i can make this place i love even better. earn up to 5% cash back on business essentials with the chase ink business cash card from chase for business. ♪ i have type 2 diabetes, but i manage it well ♪ ♪ jardiance! ♪ ♪ it's a little pill with a big story to tell ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance ♪ ♪ at each day's start! ♪ ♪ as time went on it was easy to see ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪ jardiance works twenty-four seven in your body to flush out some sugar. and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects may include ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections.

a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction. you may have an increased risk for lower limb loss. call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of infection in your legs or feet. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪ jardiance is really swell ♪ ♪ the little pill ♪ ♪ with a big story to tell! ♪ how would you describe your life before you got here? >> i lived in paradise. >> it almost seemed perfect at first.

>> laura was more about getting what she wanted. >> she knew that i would never leave taylor. she knew that that bond was there. >> tell me about that tragic day. >> it was like he got sucked under or something. it was very strange. there was no life in him. >> but you knew cpr. why not do that? >> i panicked. i hope no one blames me for this. >> well, it was an accident, right? >> yes. >> the woman i thought i knew would not have been capable of something like that. >> i don't care, be it god or the devil, don't let this be reality that my son is not here. >> this is partly his fault. he knew about her past. >> laura's name was connected to a series of crimes, including theft, fraud, and murder. >> i discovered it that week, and by the weekend, my son was dead.

♪ corpus christi, it's a beautiful place. bob hall pier is a very popular area. >> waterways. put your boat in the water and go fishing. a lot of things going for corpus christi. >> i've seen other parents out here with other children, and they're all very close. i just can't imagine letting a child wander off that far. it's like the third wave out there coming in. that's how far the little boy, taylor, was from laura. tragically, for david and kelly syring, this stretch of beach south of bob hall pier has become a place of nightmares. >> that was always one of my biggest fears, of him drowning. i couldn't explain it.

i just always had that fear, and i was always extra cautious any time he was around the water. >> david, kelly, and laura are interviewed at the corpus christi police department before returning to their homes later that night. >> at this point, no charges have been filed. >> it was an interview to figure out what happened, because laura really in essence was the only witness that they were aware of at the time. >> it was just a tragic accident. >> that night, i lost what was most important to me. and i wasn't really in the mood to be talking. my life just didn't seem to matter anymore without that. the thought of going on without taylor. >> as soon as i saw him, i knew he was gone. >> but taylor's tragic death is not david's only concern. >> i did an internet search after we were married and typed in her -- her name. her name was laura feist.

it's her birth name. >> a week before taylor dies, david is doing an internet search looking for information that might be helpful concerning the custody dispute with kelly when he comes across information concerning laura. >> laura's name was connected to a series of crimes. and murder. >> i discovered it that week while i was working, and by the weekend, my son was dead. you know, i told her what i found. i said, you know, murder? she goes, i don't know. that's not me. she assured me that this was not her. and there were things in there that i knew were obviously wrong because it said that she was middle eastern, so i took her

word for it. laura did ask me what i had told the police. and when i told the police what i had discovered about her past, she just was just like, i can't believe you would tell them that. i was -- i told them, i said, i had nothing to hide, and i didn't think that you did either. and she gave me an explanation as to these circumstances and gave me explanations that seemed believable and plausible. and i believed her. >> maybe he just didn't want to know too much. but he does confront her with that, and she denied it. >> but it turns out it was her. 30 years ago, laura was living in another paradise. this one in california. laguna beach.

>> laguna beach is one of the most beautiful places in california. really kind of cool mixture of surfers, surf community, you've got a lot of artists. everybody's hanging out together. >> it's hard to complain about anything when you have the ocean at your doorstep. >> in may 1982, laura was 17 years old. and she was named laura feist at the time. that was her maiden name. >> laura has already left home and is dating 21-year-old college student, james kendall. james, also known as jim, is a local boy from a well-respected family. >> and although things started off pretty good, it would end tragically. >> i'm jason kravetz. i'm a retired police captain with the laguna beach police department. laura and jim spent the night at jim kendall's house in laguna beach. jim had told her the night before that he, quote, didn't

want to go steady any more and wanted to break up and see other women. >> but when he tells laura he wants out, things go horribly wrong. >> he, the next morning, drives her to her home to get a change of clothes so she can go to the high school. so laura got out of the truck, and she's walking this direction across legion street, and she goes over to where she lives. her landlord kept a handgun inside of his home. she knew that. she steals the handgun. she goes back over to the truck where jim is inside, smoking and listening to the radio. the passenger door is open. he must have seen the gun at the last minute. but she fires. shoots him. after she fired to gun, he says, you shot me. and she responded back to him, yeah, i did. >> she apparently decided that she didn't want him to go on

living without her. she didn't want to live without him. >> that's when she fired the round into her own chest. >> this would not be the last time that laura's passionate self-interest would turn other people's lives upside-down. >> i have loved her my whole life. >> what is it with marrying all these men? >> it's a long story. of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you. so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb.

serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu. depend keeps you drier than ever... so you can say yes to more than ever. yes yes yes no. depend, the only thing stronger than us, is you. maybelline new york. new firework mascara. firework it!

360 degree extraordinary lash impact. super spark brush for a fully flared look. ( ♪ ) new firework mascara. maybelline new york. ♪ ♪ ♪ kellogg's rice krispies treats. connect on a sweeter level. (smelling) ew. gotta get rid of this. ♪tell me why♪ because it stinks. ♪have you tried downy rinse and refresh♪ it helps remove odors 3x better than detergent alone. it worked guys! ♪yeahhhh♪ downy rinse and refresh. looking for a reason to try the new $5 meal deal at mcdonalds? here's one, two, three, four and the price makes 5. that's everything you get with the new $5 meal deal at mcdonald's. to test the toughness of the kia sorento x-pro and the kia sorento

turbo-hybrid... ...we recreated some of the wettest springs, hottest summers, windiest falls, and coldest winters. all on one track. to prove these three-row suvs were built for the unstoppable. kia movement that inspires. psst! it's target circle week. kia sorry, it's what week? target circle week! what did she say? i think she said... circle. not following... what week? circle week! she's saying circle week. it's the biggest sale of the season! oh great! does that mean more savings or something? you bet your bottom derler! your bottom what?

♪ laura was 17 years old, and she had a boyfriend, james kendall. well, james was breaking up with her, and she was not happy about it. and how did she deal with this? she shot him. she has, like, maybe a warped sense of relationships. >> it's 1982 in orange county, california. officers have arrived at the scene of a shooting.

>> the male victim was already in grave condition. he had suffered a gunshot wound through the middle of the chest and wasn't speaking. she was. >> rather than shooting herself in the chest or shooting herself in the head, she ends up shooting herself in the shoulder, so it's really almost like a superficial wound. >> we found a card inside the car from a local jeweler. she wrote on the card that she wanted jim and herself buried together and that everything she owned should go to her mother. she told the investigators that while he was driving her to this location from his house that morning, she was writing that note. essentially, she's writing a murder/suicide note with a man that's driving her where he thinks to change and go to school, while she's planning out this whole attack and assault on him. >> but this is how despondent, apparently, or angry she was at the idea that her boyfriend would break up with her.

>> but as things settle down and she realizes that she's going to survive this gunshot wound, she's in jeopardy of potentially spending the rest of her life in california state prison, her story begins to change, and the story turns into her effectively being a victim of abuse. she told us that he claimed he was going to kill himself. >> and it reached a point where every time she opened her mouth, the story changed significantly. >> she tells investigators that she was acting in self-defense. >> one of them had to do with possibly being battered by him. >> these various claims were all dismissed pretty quickly. >> there was no indication that he was anything other than a very nice young man who picked the wrong person to date. >> laura pleads guilty to second-degree murder in the death of james kendall. >> when you were just 17 years old in california, you were convicted of shooting your boyfriend, killing your

boyfriend, james kendall. >> i'm not supposed to talk about that. >> you're not? >> my attorney told me not to. >> and then the judge made the decision that it would be appropriate to sentence her to the california youth authority rather than to prison, an opportunity not given to many people to demonstrate that she could change and that she could salvage her life. >> but while in jail at just 18 years old, laura meets another inmate two years younger than her and falls in love again. >> so we were in the youth authority together probably two and a half years. i fell in love with her the way only a teenage boy can fall in love with a woman who would eventually become a serious model. she was so beautiful.

so far outside of my idea of the girl that i was going to get, that i was just completely immersed in love with her. >> in 1987, laura came up for parole, and after serving only five years of her sentence was released from the california youth authority. >> laura and i got married in tijuana, mexico. it was crazy, but it was awesome. every thought i had included laura lee. she dazed me. when she would just come over and hold my hand with her soft little fingers, oh, my gosh, i couldn't think for an hour. however, she could see that i was messed up. and to her credit, laura said, i can't be with you. you're gonna bring me down. you're ruining your life, you're not ruining mine too. i have loved her my whole life. >> and then she heads east.

and continues at a life of crime. >> in the years leading up to her meeting david syring, laura would change her name several times, and she would also remarry three times. >> she accumulates this laundry list of various accusations and various convictions over the years. >> including theft, fraud, burglary, bigamy. in 1993, you were convicted of bigamy. >> i know. >> what is it with marrying all these men? how many times have you been married? >> several. >> five? >> yeah. well, if you -- you don't -- you're not supposed to count the annulment, right? and then the one in mexico didn't really count because i was told we needed to register it here in the united states, and we never did. >> for more than a decade between husbands four and five, laura manages to stay out of trouble with the law.

>> but now in october 2012, all that is about to change again. >> you came today for -- for what reason? >> when a witness comes forward saying he was on the beach with laura on the day that taylor drowned. >> tell me exactly what -- what you saw. >> her smile was from ear to ear. psoriasis held me back... to severe plaque now with skyrizi, i'm all in with clearer skin. ♪ things are getting clearer ♪ (♪) ♪ i feel free ♪ (♪) ♪ to bare my skin, yeah that's all me. ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ (♪) with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. and most people were clearer even at 5 years. skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions

and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. (♪) ♪ nothing and me go hand-in-hand, ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin, that's my new plan ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ now's the time, ask your doctor about skyrizi, the number one dermatologist- prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save. [♪] prescribed biologic in psoriasis. did you know, period pads are not designed to protect against bladder leak odor and wetness? try poise fresh protection. unlike period pads, poise features freshsense technology, for up to 100% protection from wetness and odors try poise. [crowd noises]

smiling first can help someone find the courage to do the same. ♪ (vo) beneful knows a full life doesn't just happen. it's a choice. to take a swing. to taste all life has to offer. choose joy, choose beneful. and try incredibites, just for small dogs. (gentle ambient music) - design a training program. - guys, let's do some trivia. - oh yes, let's do it. - i'm gonna win. - how should i plant this if my garden doesn't receive direct sunlight? hmm. - i was right! - good job. - next question. - it starts with an empty prompt, and the most advanced ai at your fingertips. (bright music)

let's review. okay. we're not gonna talk about traffic or weather. if anyone brings up lawn care, i will handle it. hosting can be extremely difficult for young homeowners turning into their parents. oh, are you done with this? i'll just take that. okay, he's still drinking. right. oh, look what the cat dr-- no, no. let's try again, if you wouldn't mind. it gets ugly. you can either take it off or i'll take it off you. yeah. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. but you love to take it. she doesn't want it.

6-year-old taylor syring has drowned after spending an afternoon on the beach with his stepmom laura day. >> you have this loving mother who just lost her 6-year-old child. >> all i could do was just lay my head on my son and just cry. >> he was gone. >> mm-hmm. >> it's etched in my mind very vividly. it haunted me and continues to. >> my name is detective pena, and i'm with the corpus christi

police department and i work with the crimes against children unit. >> laura has been interviewed by the corpus christi police, but despite being allowed to return home, the investigators still have suspicions about her. >> we went through laura day's statements. the detail that first really caught my attention and concerned me was the location where she chose to take a 6-year-old boy for a picnic on the beach. >> she says, when she gets to the beach, she sees that it's kind of crowded. >> so she went south. it gets pretty desolate out there. it made no sense to me at all that she would take a young boy for a picnic in an area where no one else is around, especially when the spot at which she entered the beach, there were actually several picnic tables. she did not administer cpr to the child after he had drowned. she did not call 911.

she did not ask for anyone around her on the beach to help. >> she just takes taylor and puts him in the car, and then she drives essentially 12 miles to a hospital. >> that is a textbook example of child endangerment or criminal negligence. >> detective pena sought a warrant for laura day's arrest on those charges. >> they had asked laura to come to the police department. i was going to go with her, and she said no. she'd given me a few pieces of her jewelry that she didn't want to take with her, and i remember thinking that was a little odd. >> and laura day was arrested on that day. >> you did nothing wrong? >> no, i didn't. i mean, it's sad that i panicked. a tragic accident happened. i tried to save him.

>> i'd figured that the police may have had some questions or doubts. i couldn't see it as anything other than an accident, you know, especially the way she described the events. >> it was shocking. nothing that she exhibited indicated there was anything other than this kind of suburban mom. >> bond is set at $50,000, and laura posts it. less than 24 hours after her arrest, she's back at home with david. >> laura was just trying to get back to life as usual, trying to figure out whatever it would take to keep me happy. talking about the possibility of us packing up and moving and going to florida. trying to get me to get past my feelings, trying to get me back

to acting normal, which seemed a little strange to me. i mean, just so sudden. >> local corpus christi news station kiii continues to cover the story. >> if it helps trigger your memory, police say the stepmother and the child were in a white toyota fj cruiser that night. >> we did our best to cover it as best we could. from both the standpoint of kelly and the police department, they wanted anyone who saw anything, who knew anything, to come forward. >> the news shoutout for witnesses pays off. >> a man made contact with the corpus christi police department saying that he had information about this case. >> you came today for what reason? >> the little boy. >> because i know what i saw. >> okay, and tell me exactly what you saw. >> rene ruiz coming forward was huge get for the prosecution.

because he is really their only witness. >> i'm walking to the back of my truck, and she's like real -- like hi. i'm like, hi. i don't remember seeing the little boy, period, you know. but i do remember clearly when she left, she left a little bit faster than normal. >> the most upsetting, troubling, telling thing that rene ruiz said is that when she ultimately left the beach -- now, remember, according to her, she has a dying boy in the back of her car -- she waved and smiled at him as she drove off the beach. >> it's november 2012, and laura has been living at home under strict bond conditions for nearly a month. >> part of her bond requirements was that she was not allowed to be around young children, churches, malls. >> so, she tells david, i want to go to the mall.

and david says, we can't go to the mall. it's -- you're on bond. this is a condition of your bond. >> she decides to thumb her nose at that. she puts on a wig and is incognito and heads to the mall. >> why would anyone in the world risk breaking the bond conditions? >> she figured she could get away with it. >> well, it was not her lucky day. >> detective pena is working off-duty at the mall. she sees a woman who is consistent with laura day's body type next to david syring and realizes, it's david and laura. and laura is wearing a wig like uma thurman in "pulp fiction." >> and i mean, it's just -- you know, you can't make this stuff up. >> on december 4th of 2012, her bond was revoked. laura was back in jail. >> if things are starting to look pretty bad for laura, they're about to get worse.

>> we're going to be together forever, and you're not going to be with anyone else ever. >> we start listening to calls. >> i'm glad everybody's gone. it's just you and me now. >> what? >> she wanted taylor out. allison! (restaurant noise) ♪ [announcer] introducing allison's plaque psoriasis. she thinks her flaky, gray patches are all people see. otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. over here! otezla can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. with no routine blood tests required. doctors have been prescribing otezla for over a decade. otezla is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. don't use otezla if you're allergic to it. serious allergic reactions can happen. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. some people taking otezla had depression,

suicidal thoughts or weight loss. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. ♪ [announcer] with clearer skin girls' day out is a good day out. live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. - goddesses, i bring the vitality of sun! - and i, the sea! - i took the kids swimming, hit up the farmer's market, and crushed my sales call! typical tuesday. - [announcer] awaken your inner goddess with vitafusion's delicious and nutritious gummies. unwrap new vitafusion soft chews, available now. hi, can i help you? maybe... i'd like to look at dolce & gabbana, versace, burberry, ray-ban, persol, oakley, costa, michael kors, coach, and ralph lauren. (♪) what colors? sunglass hut. find every shade of you. [dog whimpers] [thinking] why always the couch? does he need to go to puppy school? get his little puppy diploma? how much have i been spending on this little guy?

when your questions about life turn into questions about money... there's erica. the virtual financial assistant to help you spend, save, and plan smarter. only from bank of america.

laura was awaiting trial and was now back in jail because she violated her bond order. >> it certainly was a very big news story. as a new reporter, you cover tragedies all the time every day, but when it does involve a child, it affects people on a whole different level. >> i saw one newspaper headline that called you "the evil stepmom." >> my, isn't that horrible? can they do that? i mean, is it legal for them to do that? >> this was so out of character, so different from what you would

expect of someone who was in your home. and we were in their home. >> do you love me more than you loved kelly? >> i love you with all my heart, sweetheart. i've never loved like i love you. >> we were in the middle of a full-on investigation, trying to learn everything that we could. >> so, he said he wanted to have a picnic on the beach. >> so, according to laura day, she took taylor to the mcdonald's, got him a happy meal, and they were headed to the beach, but they had to stop off at her home first, because this was taylor's idea, so she needed to get towels. one of the things that bothered us both very much were the contents of the vehicle. >> they found taylor's underwear inside of his pants, which means taylor changed into his bathing suit in the car. >> so, why would taylor change

in the back of the car? she didn't change in the car. why wouldn't he go into the home and put on a swimsuit? >> laura's attorney would later argue that taylor simply stayed in the car and finished his happy meal while laura went inside the house. >> laura day had told detective pena and ilse that it was taylor's idea to go to the beach that day. and that was very important to her story, that it was never her idea. it was always taylor's idea. >> i remember the first thing i grabbed were the swim trunks, swim shoes maybe. >> we start listening to personal calls that she was making from the nueces county jail. and she says something like, we never even went to the house that day. >> we never even went to the house. >> and it just clicked. it clicked at that moment. that matched the evidence. that was huge, because at that point we knew that almost every bit of the story that she initially told to anyone who

would listen was a lie. this was always her idea. it was never taylor's idea. >> in january 2013, laura is charged with capital murder in addition to child endangerment. >> it suggests to me that in order to be charged with capital murder, laura would've had to plan what happened at the beach that day. for me, it was hard to accept that this wasn't just an act of desperation that came about in the moment, but that was me. >> while the prosecution continues to build their case, investigators are contacted by a drowning expert. >> so, since 1989, i've been looking at "body found in water" cases and have reviewed well over 3,000 cases. >> all right, keep going back. britney will tell you when to stop.

>> of the cases i've worked, well over half of them started off as accidents, suicides or undetermined. >> detectives and myself and andrea zaferes all went out to the area in order to check the conditions and just kind of look at the beach and wanted andrea zaferes to have seen it in person, because she was going to testify at trial. >> she looked at noaa's information regarding the water conditions that day. >> there was a long-shore curt, because that's the current that pulls you sideways are the long-shore currents. >> it was like he got sucked under or something. >> how far do you think he got? >> that's half a football field. >> 50 yards? that's 150 feet. >> when laura day stated that taylor syring's body sunk and then popped up 50 yards to the right, the problem was that was the wrong direction. based on the conditions and the wind and everything else that day, it would have gone left and not right.

>> she said things that just -- how did that happen? it didn't make sense they happened at all. >> i could see his back, floating. his back was floating. >> the medical examiner said that children don't float, that they sink. >> it is highly improbable that she would have been able to locate him quickly unless she was right next to him. everything was all lies. >> a trial date is set for june 5th, 2013. and then she finally goes on trial for murdering your son. >> yes. >> what was that like? >> i was just so caught up. everything that we had going on, to really stop and think. >> i remember putting all my faith in god. let god deal with it. >> walking into a trial and a case like this, it's nerve-racking.

knowing how dangerous she was, it was important to go into that courtroom and make sure that she didn't kill a third person. >> the case against laura day isn't just about what happened to taylor syring back in october. it's about whether any reasonable person would have done more to save him or not allowed him to be in the water by himself in the first place. >> she left him there while she decided she was going to lay out a towel on the beach, and the evidence will show that any reasonable person would have expected taylor syring's life to be in imminent danger at that moment. left approximately 100 feet from the shore by himself in the gulf of mexico. >> while her attorney acknowledged in his opening statements that mistakes were made, he said she pulled him out of the water, did what she could at the beach, then went straight

to the emergency room. >> so, we had a six-day trial. >> this teeny, tiny little wet life jacket -- i wanted to make sure that this jury understood this was not an accident. >> the evidence was presented. >> this was an intentional act, and the jury needed to see that. the jury needed to see what really happened here. >> jury considered it. and she was convicted of first-degree capital murder in the state of texas. >> i can see panicking and not doing cpr. but you had a cell phone. why didn't you call 911? every minute that she didn't do cpr, didn't call 911, didn't get help to that child made him die. >> say hi, everybody! >> hi, everybody!

>> laura is now serving life in prison for murdering his son. but what does david do? >> the next step was to focus on the appeal. >> he finds a new expert to help free her. >> it was obviously an accident. at olive garden, we think you should get more for less— especially when it comes to your favorites. so, with create your own pasta, you choose your perfect combination of pasta and made-from-scratch sauce. and it comes with round after round of our never-ending homemade soup or garden-fresh salad and buttery breadsticks. all starting at just $12.99. because nothing says “more” like getting all your favorites for less. finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water. finish ultimate, with cyclesync technology,

helps deliver the ultimate clean. (♪) this is a cottonelle toilet paper service announcement. is your toilet paper leaving you with an unclean feeling you can't shake? you deserve cottonelle ultra clean and flushable wipes. together, cottonelle ripples clean even better so you feel clean as a- *whistle blows* you got the right to a better wipe. ♪ why do dermatologists worldwide recommend la roche-posay? effective skincare like la roche-posay double repair face moisturizer delivers double-action to help repair skin's barrier and provide 48-hour hydration for healthy-looking skin. la roche-posay. (woman) i'm so excited. i'm finally here in the city. for healthwhat.king skin. (man) ahhhhh! (man) have you seen my ph- ahhh! (woman) oh no!

(man) woah, woah, woah! (woman) no, no, no, no, no! (woman) great. (man) ughhh. (man) dude. (vo) you break it. we take it. trade in any phone, in any condition. guaranteed. and get a new iphone 15 with tons of storage, on us. (woman) oh yeah. only on verizon.

♪ he was smart, outgoing. he was my funny little man. what you have taken from us, i don't think you even comprehend it. >> laura is found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole. >> i will say that based on the evidence that has been presented, i do believe she is guilty. and what happened to little taylor is just, i mean, evil. you know, taylor's mom, i mean, broken. >> they come back with a guilty verdict. how did you feel? >> relieved. um, just because, you know, she won't -- she won't ever see the light of day. >> i've heard it said that she's the most hated woman next to the woman who killed selena in

corpus christi. >> well, it sucks to be her. >> i was shocked then, too. you know, i mean, i was -- i guess i was seeing something different in the courtroom than what everybody else was seeing. >> she did everything wrong. she did nothing right. and the only thing that lets me be okay with it is 'cause she can never hurt another child 'cause she's in prison. >> i'm a victim against the justice system. shouldn't have charged me in the first place. i mean, you go around charging every parent for when their child drowns in a drowning accident? i mean, come on. >> my next thought was what we had to do next. you know, she was concerned that i was going to leave her.

you know, and we were -- the next step was to focus on the appeal. >> to cover legal fees, they sell that waterfront mansion. and still convinced of her innocence, david finds laura a new attorney. >> immediately i'm thinking, how is that a capital murder case? what kind of intent could the prosecution show? you can't keep your eyes on your children every minute, wherever you are. it was obviously an accident. >> to counter testimony given by andrea zaferes, angela moore finds drowning prevention expert john fletemeyer. >> depending on the direction the waves are coming, the long shore drift can go in either direction, and that's a common factor, a feature on most beaches. certainly could explain why the

little boy was 50 yards down the beach. >> what about her testimony stuck out were very simple concepts. i'm not sure how anyone could disagree with them. >> if angela moore is successful, the texas court of criminal appeals could order laura a new trial. but for now, all she can do is sit and wait. >> david, you said to me that you blame me for letting him die, possibly. you cannot blame me for that. why? you will never find another laura. i will never find another david. i know if i were home, i could turn you around and snap you out of it. it's just typical laura. she doesn't take responsibility for what she's done and only sees that she's the victim. she has never apologized.

she has never said sorry for what she's done. i feel so stupid to have been this naive and to have stuck by her as long as i did. >> how do you feel about laura now? >> i believe she's where she belongs. i believe that this is probably the worst punishment for her, to be in prison. >> david and laura are now divorced. david supported you. he defended you. >> yes. he knew, 'cause he knew what happened. yes. >> and now david syring, your ex-husband, feels you're guilty. >> does he? who says? >> the david you knew didn't feel that way? >> no. >> and he never showed that to

you? >> no. he stood by me for years and would -- i mean, no. >> any message for laura? >> no. >> nothing to say to her? >> i have nothing to say to her. >> despite losing david's support, laura day may be down but she's not out. there's a new man on the scene. >> i certainly plan on being there fo

but neutrogena ultra sheer sunscreen is still on the clock. vital sun protection goes six layers deep blocking 97% of burning uv rays. it's light, but it's working hard. unlike me. neutrogena ultra sheer sunscreen.

oh no! with chewy, get flea meds delivered before the itching begins or after. but before is definitely better. good job. save 20% on your first pharmacy order and get it delivered right on time. (buzz) look whose joining us for my favorite part of the day! save 20% on your (leslie) cheerios are his love language. (buzz) well, yeah. they can help lower cholesterol. (angela) ok. i love it. (phyllis) my love language is portuguese. i don't understand it, but i love how it makes me feel. ( ♪ ) feel the power of osteo bi-flex®. taken every day, it's clinically shown to improve joint comfort in 7 days, with significant improvement over time. ( ♪ ) zyrtec allergy relief works fast and lasts a full 24 hours so dave can be the... deliverer of dance. ok, dave! let's be more than our allergies.

zeize the day with zyrtec. this is where taylor's at. i come every year to put flowers. we have valentine's day set up, 4th of july, sometimes a little christmas tree. come out here periodically and, you know, just to spend a little bit of time. >> how often do you think you come out here? >> i pass by on the road almost daily. and i can always spot, you know, his flowers. i always look by and give a hello.

>> it's been almost ten years since taylor syring drowned after a trip to the beach on padre island. is it possible to forgive your ex-husband, david, and laura? >> well, i have forgiven laura. that doesn't mean she needs to come out of jail. look at that. why should she get off so easy? she can spend the rest of her life in a jail cell, miserable. and as far as my ex-husband, yeah, i think that's going to take a miracle, too. >> i was so wrapped up and tangled up in all of this that so many things, so many red flags, escaped me. i don't know if it was just, you know, the trauma of losing my son, i don't know if it was her

being a great manipulator. i can't explain it. >> i blame him, too. i do blame him. this is partly his fault. he knew about her past. i would have never have let him go with her, ever, if i'd have known. >> can you ever move forward through something like this? >> life will never be the same. you can only try to make the best of what you have. just try to move on. >> how do you commemorate taylor's life? >> this last year for his birthday, i went and camped out in the national forest in colorado with some friends. that knew taylor. and i had a great time. i had an awesome time, actually. >> you do things that taylor

would have liked to do. >> i'm going to celebrate his life. i'm not going to mourn it. as i said, he was a big personality, big life. >> laura continued to write david until 2019, but when he stopped writing back, she found someone else who would. i hear there may be a new man in your life, william erwin? >> yes. >> what is that all about? >> he's great. >> how did you meet? >> we met through a pen pal website. >> our relationship has evolved quite a bit since we first met. we talk two or three times a day. i really care about laura a lot. she's a wonderful person, and the more i get to know her and her story, you know, i realize and fully believe in her complete innocence and that she was wrongfully convicted.

>> it's not all an attraction or a sexual relationship. it's all about personality and things that you have in common. >> i'll be right there to pick her up as soon as she walks out of there. we're gonna figure out where we want to live. we've pretty much decided on salt lake city or florida. >> would you dare to think you might marry him after all your difficulty with all these other men? >> who knows? i -- i really would like to see how things go for a while. i'm in no rush. >> to this day, i have a picture of taylor syring on a shelf directly across from my desk. i see him every day while i'm working. and i do that because the justice that the case team and i

were able to get for him was one of the more incredible things i think i'll ever do in my career. >> i know it was tough for you to decide to sit down with us. why did you finally agree to talk to us? >> because if it'll keep laura in prison, then what wouldn't you do for your kids? >> hi, everybody. one, two, three, four. >> go for it. >> whoo! >> taylor's parents, david and kelly, have not spoken to each other since their son's fume funeral back in 2012. >> david: laura day is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. that is our program. thanks for watching. i'm david muir.

>> deborah: i'm deborah roberts. from all of us here at "20/20" and abc news, good night. the lord almighty, comes down and tells me that i might do that in an exclusive interview with abc news anchor george stephanopoulos. >> president joe biden remained defiant, reje