In 2008, Sabine Buehler’s then-boyfriend William “Bill” Cumber killed her in a fit of wrath. Sabine Buehler was an environmentalist and a model local citizen of the little town on Anna Maria Island. After the defendant entered a guilty plea and provided information on the victim’s buried remains, officials only located her remains in October 2015.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will explore the brutal murder of the 49-year-old and the investigation that ultimately resulted in the finding of the victim’s remains buried on the beach years later. This Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET, Oxygen will broadcast the episode.

According to the official summary for the forthcoming episode:

Sabine Buehler relocates to an island off the coast of Florida in search of her own piece of paradise. When she disappears, friends realize that she didn’t leave on her own, and the search for her takes police down a long and twisting route in the sand.

Everything started when Sabine Buehler started dating Bill Cumber in public. It was discovered that her marriage to Tom had devolved into one of convenience because the two remained close friends and business partners even after losing their romantic feelings for one another.

When Cumber started working as a handyman at the Buehlers’ co-owned Haley’s Motel in 2006, he met her. Soon after, their passionate relationship commenced. The couple moved into an apartment on Magnolia Avenue in Anna Maria, and approximately a month later, in November 2008, Sabine vanished without a trace.

Authorities were able to identify Sabine Buehler’s alleged killer thanks to a stolen car and forensic examinations.
When Sabine Buehler’s automobile was found in Bradenton, Florida, owned by one Robert Corona, a man with a long history of auto theft, the missing report for her was only made two days after her initial abduction in the early morning hours of November 6. The 38-year-old man admitted he had stolen the vehicle. He apparently discovered the unlocked vehicle next to the bar Gator Lounge.

Despite the perpetrator’s efforts to conceal the bloody evidence, forensic reports showed that Sabine’s blood was discovered in the car. Authorities asserted that someone made a roughly formed hole in the backseat’s padding by cutting out a portion of the padding.

According to reports, Manatee County Detective John Kenney said

“Whoever did it cut it with a knife, removed the leather and cushioning, and then did so. We assumed that they removed that portion after doing their best to clean the car.”

Bill Cumber allegedly stated in a previous interview that he last saw Sabine the night of her disappearance after a violent fight on the former’s smoking habits, which the victim vehemently disliked. However, the boyfriend quickly gained attention when forensic tests revealed that the victim’s blood was present in their Magnolia Avenue apartment and that it matched the DNA of the stolen car.

Without any tangible proof, an arrest was made for Sabine Buehler’s homicide.

William “Bill” Cumber was detained for driving without a license and attempting to flee the country without telling the authorities a few days after the finding. It was also disclosed that Bill had previously been detained following his hiring at Haley’s Motel in relation to a 2006 arson case in which he burned down his ex-home girlfriend’s while others were still inside.

Even though there was no physical evidence to support Sabine’s murder, the state decided that the circumstantial evidence was adequate to charge Cumber with second-degree murder. Her remains hadn’t been located yet. After numerous delays, Cumber finally entered a guilty plea in October 2015 and directed police to Sabine Buehler’s final resting place.

He described the night’s events in detail and admitted to carrying out the murder.

“She said that some problems prevented her from continuing this connection…

I err, I err…

I struck her head. She covers her face with her hands as she cowers in fear. After I stretched out and grabbed her throat, she stopped moving.”
Added him:

“I was in shock about what I did. I lowered my gaze to her and gasped at what I had done. I made up my mind that I didn’t want to go back to jail. So I came up with a plan to get rid of her.”
This Wednesday at 8 PM ET, catch Dateline: Secrets Uncovered to hear more about the 2008 murder of Sabine Buehler.